Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, was indicted on sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges in New York, federal prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
Jeffries, 80, his partner Matthew Smith, 61 and recruiter James Jacobson, 71, were accused of using “force, fraud and coercion” to traffic men, many of whom were aspiring models, for commercial sex acts between December 2008 and March 2015, officials said.
“To anyone who thinks they can exploit and coerce others by using the so-called casting couch system, this case should serve as a warning: prepare to trade that couch for a bed in a federal prison,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The 16-count indictment, unsealed in federal court in Central Islip, alleges that Jeffries and Smith employed Jacobson to recruit, interview and hire men to perform sexual acts for the pair. Jacobson allegedly traveled across the country and internationally, including to New York City and the Hamptons, to find men to participate in what prosecutors describe as “sex events.” The indictment also alleges that Jacobson would often require candidates to engage in sex acts with him during “tryouts.”
Attorneys for Jeffries and Smith declined to comment. Jacobson’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Jeffries, who was the CEO of Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014, and Smith are accused of leveraging Jeffries’ “financial resources” and power to operate a prostitution ring, employing a network of recruiters, employees, contractors and security personnel to maintain secrecy, authorities said.
“These defendants allegedly preyed on the hopes and dreams of their victims by exploiting, abusing, and silencing them to fulfill their own desires, with insidious secret intentions,” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy said in a statement.
Federal prosecutors allege that Jeffries and Smith coerced men by making them believe participation in the sex events…
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