Police arrest former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch as part of FBI’s sex trafficking investigation

(Daily Caller News Foundation) – Authorities arrested the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, on Tuesday in a criminal sex trafficking investigation led by the FBI and federal prosecutors in New York.

His partner, Matt Smith, and a third individual, Jim Jacobson, were also arrested, according to ABC News. The investigation concerns the alleged sexual exploitation and abuse of young men at parties, the outlet reported.

A group of models filed a lawsuit roughly a year ago, alleging Abercrombie had benefited from a “sex trafficking operation” spearheaded by Jeffries, Reuters reported. David Bradberry, a former model, alleged Jeffries “forced models to take drugs and engage in sexual acts” to be included in Abercrombie’s catalogs, according to the outlet.

Jeffries resigned from his position as CEO in 2014, Reuters noted.

“As we laid out in our lawsuit, this was an Abercrombie run, sex trafficking organization that permeated throughout the company and allowed the three individuals arrested today to victimize dozens and dozens of young, aspiring male models,” the plaintiff’s attorney, Brad Edwards of Edwards Henderson, told ABC News.

An FBI investigation was opened in 2023 after the BBC published allegations that Jeffries and Smith sexually exploited men. In September, additional men accused the former CEO and his partner of sexual exploitation, according to BBC.

As of September 2024, 20 men in total told the BBC they attended or helped plan the events hosted by Jeffries and Smith.

“The BBC previously found there had been a sophisticated operation involving a middleman tasked with finding men for these events, but the new testimonies detail additional recruitment methods,” the outlet reported.

Lawyers for Jeffries and Smith denied “any wrongdoing” when asked for comment by BBC.