This story contains discussions of rape or sexual assault that may be disturbing. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-4673 to provide support and resources.
(NewsNation) — The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch posted a $10 million bond Tuesday, just hours after he was was arrested on sex trafficking charges brought by federal prosecutors in New York.
Former CEO Mike Jeffries was arrested in Florida and is being charged along with his partner Matthew Smith and associate James Jacobson. According to the New York Post reporting, the 80-year-old was all smiles as he was spotted leaving a federal court in West Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday.
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace detailed the allegations in the indictment against the men, which includes 15 victims known as “John Doe.”
He described the system as a “casting couch” model where men hoping to get featured in an Abercrombie ad to kickstart their careers were then trafficked.
“To anyone who thinks they can coerce others using a casting call system, prepare to trade that couch for a bed in federal prison,” Pearce said.
Jeffries and Smith are accused of hiring Jacobson to act as a recruiter to select young men hoping to build a career in modeling who would then be coerced or forced to engage in sex acts at events run by Jeffries and Smith.
Prosecutors say Jeffries and Smith intentionally targeted heterosexual men who expressed they would be unwilling to engage in certain sex acts, including anal sex, who were then forced to take part in such activity.
Jacobson allegedly engaged in tryouts where he paid men to engage in sex acts, and Smith allegedly selected which men would be flown to his and Jeffries’ homes or to hotels around the world.
According to the indictment, the itineraries provided to victims resembled that which would be used for a typical photoshoot or modeling job, obscuring the nature of the sex events to which they would then be taken.
Men were physically groomed and forced to give up personal items like phones and wallets during the event and to sign nondisclosure agreements, the indictment says.
Prosecutors say the men were not informed about the details of the sex acts they would be expected to perform and were given substances including alcohol, Viagra and poppers to perform and were sometimes injected with erection-inducing medication if they were unwilling or unable to act as directed.
Staff kept the men from leaving events, prosecutors say, and Smith and Jeffries allegedly violated men who were unwilling to participate by force.
While there are 15 victims in the charging documents, authorities said the investigation is ongoing, and they believe there are dozens of victims during a time spanning from 2008 to 2015. Anyone with information or who was a victim is encouraged to contact the FBI.
Last year, Abercrombie & Fitch was sued over allegations that Jeffries was operating a sex trafficking ring exploiting young men who hoped to become models for the company and that Abercrombie allegedly turned a blind eye to the abuse.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
