Ex-head of Abercrombie & Fitch pleads not guilty to charges of sex trafficking and prostitution

CENTRAL ISSLIP, N.Y. (AP) — The former longtime CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch pleaded not guilty Friday federal sex trafficking and interstate prostitution fees.

Michael Jeffries, 80, declined to comment after he pleaded guilty in federal court in Central Illipe, Long Island. He is out on $10 million bail and is due back in court on December 12.

Prosecutors allege that over the years, Jeffries, his romantic partner and third husband, 71-year-old James Jacobson, lured men attending sex parties while promising to model for a clothing retailer once known for its dapper, all-American aesthetic and shirtless marketing.

Jacobson, who was an employee of Jeffries when prosecutors alleged the crimes, also pleaded not guilty and declined to speak to reporters afterward.

In the indictment announced earlier this week, prosecutors allege the 15 accusers were induced by “force, fraud and coercion” to participate in drug-fueled sex parties where men were sometimes ordered to wear costumes, use sex toys and endure pain that causes erection of the penis. injections.

The incidents took place between 2008 and 2015 in the Hamptons, an affluent Long Island summer resort where Jeffries has a home, as well as hotels in England, France, Italy, Morocco and St. Barts, according to the indictment.

The allegations echo allegations of sexual harassment described in media reports and filed in a civil suit against Jeffries, who left Abercrombie in 2014 after leading the company for more than two decades.

Jeffries was released on bond after appearing in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday. His obligations are secured by the property he and his wife own on expensive Fisher Island, near Miami.

Jeffries’ partner, Matthew Smith, 61, who also stood trial in Florida, was remanded in custody after prosecutors expressed concern that the dual US-UK national could flee the country. No arraignment date has been set for Smith.

Jacobson, who prosecutors say recruited men for sex parties, was arrested in Wisconsin and released on $500,000 bail during his first appearance in federal court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Jeffries took over as CEO of Abercrombie in 1992, leading the company’s evolution from its roots as a hunting and outdoor goods store founded in Manhattan in 1892 to the traditional teenage mall culture of the early 2000s.

Abercrombie, in a statement posted on Instagram after the arrests, said he was “stunned and disgusted” by the allegations.

The Ohio company, which also owns the Hollister clothing brand, said it has “transformed” its brands and culture in the decade since Jeffries left.

Abercrombie stopped using “sexualized” photos in marketing materials and stopped the practice of referring to store employees as “models”. Last year, she hired an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation into similar allegations against Jeffries.

“Speaking out and speaking out is not easy, and our thoughts remain with those who bravely raised their voices as part of the federal investigation,” the company wrote in a statement Wednesday. “We have zero tolerance for abuse, harassment or discrimination of any kind and are committed to fully cooperating with law enforcement during the legal process.”

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