Former Abercromie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was arrested on intercourse trafficking and prostitution costs, in accordance with a senior regulation enforcement official.
Matthew Smith, Jeffries’ accomplice, and James Jacobson, one other particular person, have been additionally arrested within the case, stated the official, who spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of the fees weren’t but public.
The FBI, New York Metropolis Police Division and federal prosecutors will maintain a press convention at midday ET to debate a “sex trafficking and interstate prostitution case,” although the announcement didn’t identify Jeffries or the opposite defendants.
The precise nature of the fees stay unclear, however the prosecution follows a BBC investigation printed a yr in the past discovering that Jeffries and Smith recruited and exploited younger males for intercourse occasions around the globe. A civil lawsuit filed by a former Abercrombie & Fitch mannequin made comparable allegations.
Jeffries served as chairman and CEO of the clothes retailer, which additionally owns manufacturers Abercromie Youngsters and Hollister, from 1992 to 2014.
Abercromie & Fitch declined to remark. The Hill has reached out to Jeffries’ legal professional for remark.
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