Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a sex trafficking case.
Jeffries, his partner Matt Smith and a third man, Jim Jacobson, were arrested as part of the investigation by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, according to a report from ABC News.
Reportedly, the investigation involved whether the men sexually exploited and abused young men at parties they hosted in the United States and around the world, the sources told ABC News.
Alleged victims filed a civil lawsuit a year ago, and the investigation stemmed from that.
BREAKING: Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries and two others were arrested Tuesday as part of a criminal sex trafficking investigation, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News. https://t.co/XhJq55lYHx pic.twitter.com/f8uYse65bk
— ABC News (@ABC) October 22, 2024
Reportedly, the civil lawsuits claim that young men were exploited at Jeffries’ parties in New York, London, Venice, and other places. These young men were recruited by Jacobson, the middleman (via ABC):
One of the plaintiffs, David Bradberry, a former crewman on the reality series "Below Deck," said Jeffries made Abercrombie successful by the "oversexualization of young men."
His lawsuit accused Jeffries, Smith, Jacobson and Abercrombie itself of luring attractive young men under the guise of making them an Abercrombie model and then forcing them to take drugs and perform sex acts.
"We will respond in detail to the allegations after the Indictment is unsealed, and when appropriate, but plan to do so in the courthouse – not the media," Brian Bieber, an attorney for Michael Jeffries, told ABC News Tuesday.