For over four decades, from the 1980s to 2024, the highly sexualized in-store and advertising images of scantily clad young men and women were the driving force behind the wildly successful Abercrombie & Fitch's rise as the foremost brand for teenagers.

On October 23, former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch Michael Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith, and James Jacobson were indicted on charges of running an international sex-trafficking scheme while running the clothing store company.

Prosecutors allege Mr. Jeffries, 80, Mr. Smith, 61, and Mr. Jacobson, 71, pressured dozens of young men into doing sex acts. Mr. Jacobson was allegedly paid as a recruiter by Jeffries and Smith for seven years, from 2008 to 2015. The co-conspirators were charged with fraud, using force, and coercion for young men to perform sex acts in the US and internationally.

The indictment claims the victims were never told of the intent of the “sex” events. The perpetrators allegedly created a system of referrals and interviews for the men before booking them for the private events. Prosecutors claim that the defendants physically “groomed” the men before they attended the “sex” events, and claim they shaved their genitals “without advance notice” and required the men attending the “sex” events to hand over their cell phones, wallets, and even clothing.

The indictment says that Mr. Jacobson would pay men to “engage” in sexual acts with him and afterward would pick which men would travel with him to events all over the world. Prosecutors claim that he traveled with them for the purpose of commercial sex.

Some of these “sex” events allegedly took place at locations around the world, including New York City, the Hamptons, England, France, Italy, Morocco, Saint Barthélémy, and more.

The accused are alleged to have used a referral system and interview process for the “sex” events but didn’t disclose details to the men about what they would entail, including the full extent and nature of the sexual activity that would be required of them, according to the indictment, which included anal intercourse, and the use of sex toys and other objects.

At these secret “sex” events, the men were allegedly coerced to drink alcohol, take drugs such as Viagra, poppers, and muscle relaxants, and use lubricant and condoms to perform sex acts without their “consent.” Their movements were allegedly restricted in that they could not exit the event without Mr. Jeffries's or Mr. Smith’s agreement.

The indictment says the co-conspirators, either personally or by directing others, injected the men with drugs that would cause the men to engage in sex acts since they were “otherwise physically incapable or unwilling.”

In a press conference announcing the indictment, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon S. Peace, said that Mr. Jeffries was sex trafficking men for his own sexual pleasure.

He “was using his power, his wealth, and his influence to traffic men for his own sexual pleasure and that of his romantic partner,” said Mr. Peace.

The indictment was clear in its mission to prosecute sexual abusers in any type of business that violates the law.

“The message from today’s prosecution is clear: sexually exploiting vulnerable human beings is a crime doing so by dangling dreams of a future in fashion or modeling or any other business is no different,” U.S. Attorney Peace said during the press conference regarding the indictment.

Prosecutors allege that all three defendants pressured male models who went to their private events, which were run by staff who had signed nondisclosure agreements. The indictment states that the male models were promised their participation would lead to modeling opportunities and that if they did not do sex acts during these events, their chances at modeling would be in jeopardy.

Ignited by a class-action suit in 2023, fifteen people claim they were pressured into doing sex acts and allege Mr. Jeffries promised them a chance of modeling before he abused them. In that class-action suit, the plaintiffs claim Abercrombie & Fitch was complicit in the sex trafficking and turned a blind eye to Mr. Jeffries’ behavior. The suit claims that the company paid victims from an Abercrombie & Fitch-affiliated bank account.

The revamped Abercrombie & Fitch released a statement about the new charges filed against their former CEO and his two co-defendants.

“As we shared when the accusations were first made public in October 2023, we are appalled and disgusted by the alleged behavior of Mr. Jeffries, whose employment with Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ended nearly ten years ago,” Abercrombie & Fitch said in a statement. “For close to a decade, we have successfully transformed our brands and culture into the values-driven organization we are today. We have zero tolerance for abuse, harassment or discrimination of any kind, and are committed to fully cooperating with law enforcement as the legal process continues.”

Mr. Jeffries was released on a $10 million bond. Mr. Jacobson was released on a $500,000 bond. Mr. Smith was not released and ordered to be detained. They will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York on Friday, October 25.

If convicted of the crimes, the defendants may face a minimum of 15 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. If the defendants are also found guilty of interstate prostitution, they may face an additional sentence of up to 20 years in prison.