NEW YORK: Mike Jeffries, the former longtime CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, has been criminally charged with sex trafficking and prostitution involving dozens of men.
The 16-count indictment was unsealed Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn a decade after Jeffries left the retailer he built over 22 years into a popular clothing brand known for sexually charged marketing.
A came BBC An investigation and proposed class action accuses Jefferies of luring young men with the prospect of offering jobs to entice them to travel the world so they could be sexually assaulted.
US Attorney Breon Pace, whose office convicted singer R. Kelly and sentenced him to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking, said powerful people had long sexually abused young people eager to work in fashion and entertainment.
“To anyone who believes they can exploit and coerce others using the so-called couch system, this case should serve as a warning: Prepare to trade that couch for a bed in federal prison,” Pace said at a news conference.
Those accused include Jeffries, 80, his accomplice Matthew Smith, 61, and James Jacobson, 71, who allegedly recruited men for them.
They are each charged with one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution related to 15 unidentified victims between 2008 and 2015.
If convicted, they face possible life sentences and mandatory minimum prison sentences of 15 years on sex trafficking charges. They face up to 20 years in prison for interstate prostitution.
In separate court hearings, Jeffries and Jacobson were ordered released on bonds of $10 million and $500,000, respectively.
They are expected to file formal motions Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Islip, New York, a peace spokesman said. The prosecution wants to subject the two men to house arrest.
Smith, a dual US and British citizen, was ordered detained during the court hearing. Prosecutors want him imprisoned pending trial, citing the risk of flight.
Jeffries’ attorney Brian Pepper and Smith’s attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment after the hearings. Jacobson’s attorney, Jeremy Schneider, declined to comment.
Abercrombie also declined to comment. She has not been accused of wrongdoing, and Pace said there is no evidence that the alleged crimes occurred on company property.