Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO charged with operating sex-trafficking ring

Abercrombie’s Mike Jeffries and associates lured dozens of young men into enactment acts from 2008-2015, says indictment.

Mike Jeffries, erstwhile main enforcement of the US covering institution Abercrombie & Fitch, has been arrested for alleged enactment trafficking and interstate prosecution pursuing weeks of speculation implicit allegations of nonrecreational misconduct.

Law enforcement officials announced the apprehension of Jeffries successful a property league Tuesday, alleging the manner enforcement oversaw a years-long endeavor that lured and exploited young men looking for a interruption successful the manner world.

Jeffries’ romanticist partner, Matthew Smith, and subordinate James Jacobsen were besides arrested for their alleged relation successful the enterprise.

The 3 men are owed successful United States national tribunal successful Florida and Wisconsin connected Tuesday, aft which they volition beryllium indicted successful the eastbound territory of New York.

US Attorney Breon Peace, announcing the charges astatine a property league successful New York, said the lawsuit should “serve arsenic a informing … to anyone who thinks they tin exploit and coerce others by utilizing the alleged ‘casting couch’ system”.

“Powerful individuals for excessively agelong person trafficked and abused for their ain intersexual pleasance young radical with fewer resources,” said Peace.

The Jeffries lawsuit comes lone 2 weeks aft different almighty man, Sean “Diddy” Combs, was accused successful New York of trafficking and sexually abusing women for years.

US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace speaks during a quality league successful Brooklyn, New York, the US connected October 22 [Brendan McDermid/Reuters]

What are the charges?

According to an unsealed indictment, Jeffries and his associates paid for dozens of men to question astir the satellite to prosecute successful commercialized enactment with them and different men from 2008 to 2015.

It describes intersexual bacchanals – spanning from New York to Morocco – successful which the recruited men were fixed drugs, lubricant, condoms, costumes, enactment toys and, sometimes, erection-inducing penile injections that caused painful, hours-long reactions.

The defendants led the men to judge that attending the events would assistance their careers, including their chances of getting Abercrombie modeling gigs — oregon that not complying could harm their prospects, the indictment says.

Jeffries and Smith employed Jacobson to enlistee and prosecute the men, who typically had to acquisition “tryouts” by having enactment with Jacobson first, according to the indictment. It says other, unnamed household staffers besides helped facilitate the events, including by acting arsenic information and providing alcohol, musculus relaxants, Viagra and different items.

“On much than 1 occasion, erstwhile men did not oregon could not consent, Jeffries and Smith violated the bodily integrity of these men by subjecting them oregon continuing to taxable them to invasive intersexual and convulsive contact,” said Peace.

They “did not conscionable transportation this enactment connected a mates of occasions. Their enactment trafficking and prostitution endeavor lasted astatine slightest from the extremity of 2008 until aboriginal 2015”, Peace added.

Jeffries’s attorney, Brian Bieber, told the Associated Press via email that helium would “respond successful item to the allegations aft the indictment is unsealed, and erstwhile appropriate, but program to bash truthful successful the courthouse — not the media.”

The charges travel a bid of intersexual misconduct allegations from young radical who said Jeffries promised modeling enactment and past pressed them into enactment acts.

Abercrombie & Fitch antecedently said it is “appalled and disgusted” by the allegations astir Jeffries’s behaviour and has “zero tolerance for abuse, harassment oregon favoritism of immoderate kind”.

Jeffries near the institution successful 2014 with a aureate parachute compensation bundle worthy $25m, according to firm filings.

Source

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies