Michael S. Jeffries, who ran the Abercrombie fashion chain from 1992 to 2014, was arrested as part of an interstate investigation into sex trafficking and prostitution.
The former CEO of the fashion chain Abercrombie & Fitch was arrested this Tuesday in Florida as part of a federal investigation into cases of sex trafficking and prostitution, writes the New York Teams. Michael S. Jeffries, better known as Mike Jeffries, led the retailer from 1992 to 2014 and was responsible for the brand’s global expansion. In addition to Jeffries, Matthew Smith, a partner of the former CEO, and James Jacobson were also arrested. In the latter case, the arrest occurred in the state of Wisconsin.
The arrest comes after an investigation last year into bbc reveal that Jeffries used alleged modeling jobs at Abercrombie to lure young men to sex parties at his properties in the Hamptons, New York and London. Men were forced to perform sexual acts to move up the career ladder within the company.
Mike Jeffries, left
According ABC NewsJames Jacobson would act as an intermediary to attract young people to the parties. Following the BBC investigation, the couple were also the subject of a class-action lawsuit brought by some of the victims of the alleged scheme, which allegedly lasted 20 years. The lawsuit was filed in New York state and the couple is accused of sex trafficking, rape and sexual assault. One of the plaintiffs, David Bradberry, accused Jeffries of making Abercrombie successful by “oversexualizing young men.”
The sexual exploitation network created by a former fashion mogul to seduce models
In the past, Mike Jeffries and Matthew Smith, a British citizen, have denied the allegations.
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Abercrombie is an American company based in the state of Ohio, although the first store was opened in 1892, in New York. In the 1990s, when Mike Jeffries took over Abercrombie, which was in a weak financial situation, he focused the company on a teenage audience. The company became known among young people for hiring only young, beautiful people for its stores. In commercial campaigns, young people were often shown naked.
Today, the company has stores in various parts of the world. In Europe, it is in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Source: Observadora
