Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries has been accused of exploiting men for sex in the 1990s and 2000s while running his clothing empire, a BBC investigation published Monday found.
Eight men told the BBC former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries exploited them in the 1990s and ... [+]
Using a middleman, Jeffires and his partner Matthew Smith found young men and exploited them, eight of whom confirmed to the BBC, adding they were recruited to attend sex events the pair hosted.
Between 2009 and 2015, Jeffries and Smith allegedly hosted events in New York City, Paris, Venice, Italy, and Marrakesh, Morocco, where young adult men were exploited; the BBC said it spoke to 12 men who described “attending or organising events” that involved sex acts for the former CEO and his partner.
While all of the men who attended the events were paid and signed non-disclosure agreements, half of the men who attended the events told the BBC they had initially been misled about the sort of events they were attending and said they were not aware sex was involved; some of the others said they knew the events would be sexual.
Several of the men told the BBC the middleman—whom the BBC identified as James Jacobson—or others suggested there were potential modeling opportunities at Abercrombie & Fitch when they were invited to the events.
Neither Jeffries nor Smith responded to the BBC’s request for comment.
Abercrombie & Fitch did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
The BBC had two former U.S. prosecutors review documents and testimony collected during the British news outlet’s investigation and both prosecutors called for a criminal investigation to determine if sex trafficking charges could be brought.
$25 million. That’s how much Jeffries was paid when he stepped down as CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014, according to the BBC.
A documentary released last year noted some of the trouble the company has had during its more recent years. The film noted some of the company’s problematic behaviors including an idealization of thinness and glorifying a certain standard of beauty. That standard followed not only customers, but employees at its stores, as well. The documentary noted a shift in the early 2000s when public protest and a series of lawsuits pushed Jeffries to step down. The recent attention on the American clothing company, however, did not note any of Jeffries’ alleged inappropriate behavior.
Abercrombie & Fitch Ex-CEO Accused Of Exploiting Men For Sex (BBC)