Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries has been accused of sexually assaulting male models after conducting fake job interviews.
Jeffries, 80, and his former partner Matthew Smith were arrested in West Palm Beach on sex trafficking charges Tuesday. A third man, Jim Jacobson, was arrested in the same case in Wisconsin.
Attorney Brad Edwards, who represents more than a dozen alleged victims in a lawsuit, said NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo that Jeffries used his role at Abercrombie to lure young male models and sexually abuse them.
‘There is nothing consensual about it. “They were young aspiring models who were scouted and promised to be Abercrombie models, essentially,” Edwards said.
The men underwent “an interview” with Jeffries before they were “taken to a room,” where “the most heinous of sexual crimes was committed against them,” according to the lawyer.
Former Abercrombie & Fitch boss Mike Jeffries was released on bail on Tuesday after being charged with sickening sex crimes, smiling as he walked outside.
Jeffries, right, was released from jail on $10 million bail by a magistrate in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday.
Edwards added: “They were all forced to wear Abercrombie clothing at events decorated as if it were an Abercrombie store…forced to sign confidentiality agreements, told that if they ever revealed this bad things would happen to them, in terms of reputation and finance”. , physically.’
Jeffries was released on $10 million bail hours after his arrest. He smiled as he walked with his lawyers to a car waiting outside, dressed in a dark blue sweater over a polo shirt and white shorts, and what appeared to be slippers.
Jacobson, accused of procuring the men for Jeffries and his partner, was released on $500,000 bail.
Smith, who has dual U.S.-British citizenship, was ordered detained after prosecutors expressed concern that he might flee the country.
Prosecutors say the three men lured men to coercive, extravagant and drug-filled sex parties, offering them the promise of modeling for the retailer’s once-defining advertisements.
According to the indictment, Jacobson, Jeffries and Smith paid for dozens of men to travel to have sex with them and other men in New York and at hotels in England, France, Italy, Morocco and St. Barts between 2008 and 2015.
Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith (left) are accused of recruiting men for sex parties and forcing them to perform sexual acts.
The men said they were recruited by a middleman identified as James Jacobson, who denies any wrongdoing.
Detectives said the men typically underwent “testing” by first having sex with Jacobson, who acted as a recruiter for their bosses. He has a snakeskin nose.
The sometimes graphic indictment describes sexual bacchanals in which recruited men were given drugs, lubricants, condoms, costumes, sex toys and sometimes penile injections to induce erections that caused painful reactions that lasted hours.
They are accused of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution involving 15 anonymous accusers.
Federal prosecutors charged the three men after a BBC documentary featured several men who claimed to have been victims of them.
Jeffries’ reign at Abercrombie & Fitch was dominated by his controversial brand image and the equally controversial comments he made about his customer base.
Jeffries left Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014. The New Albany, Ohio-based company, which also encompasses Hollister, declined to comment on his arrest.
Prosecutors do not allege that company resources or property were used in the alleged sexual scheme.
Abercrombie said last year it had hired an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation after the BBC reported similar allegations from a dozen men.
A lawyer for Jeffries had previously said: “We will respond in detail to the allegations after the secrecy of the indictment is revealed, and when appropriate, but we plan to do so in court, not in the media.”