On October 22, former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries, along with his partner Matthew Smith and associate James Jacobson, were arrested and charged with human trafficking. The allegations suggest that the trio lured men to participate in drug-fueled sex parties under the guise of offering modeling opportunities worldwide.

The Department of Justice filed charges in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, stating that the couple and Jacobson exploited Jeffries’ status as a major corporate executive, leveraging his wealth and a “butler-like” staff to facilitate a global operation involving sex trafficking and prostitution to satisfy their sexual desires.

Federal prosecutor Breon Peace commented on the situation, asserting that those who take advantage of vulnerable individuals in the modeling and fashion industries should learn a lesson from this case. He highlighted that “exploiting the vulnerable is a crime,” whether through promise of a career in fashion or otherwise. James Dennehy, the FBI’s deputy director in New York, described the criminal actions of the defendants as “disgusting.”

The charges outlined in the indictment are consistent with allegations made by multiple young individuals who have pursued legal action for sex crimes: Jeffries allegedly promised potential victims modeling jobs while coercing them to perform sexual acts to satisfy the defendants’ appetites.

Attorneys for Jeffries, Brian Bieber, and for Smith, Joseph Nascimento and David Raben, responded to inquiries from the press by stating that “the truth will come out in court.” Jacobson claimed he was not involved in any of the alleged coercive or deceptive actions and was unaware of them.

Following their arrests, the three defendants appeared separately in court in their respective locations: Jeffries and Smith in Florida and Jacobson in Wisconsin, where they are set to face charges of human trafficking and interstate prostitution involving 15 victims.

According to the indictment, from 2008 to 2015, the defendants allegedly funded the grooming of dozens of men to engage in prostitution in hotels located in New York, the UK, France, Italy, and St. Barts in the Caribbean, targeting other men. Victims, after being paid, were coerced into using drugs, sexual lubricants, condoms, costumes, and even suffering through painful injections designed to prolong erections, all while being made to sign non-disclosure agreements.