Former Abercrombie CEO pleads not guilty to sex trafficking male models for parties

The former CEO of the Abercrombie and Fitch clothing giant has pleaded not guilty to trafficking male models for sex parties around the world, U.S. prosecutors said Friday.

Mike Jeffries, 80, who was arrested Tuesday, was arraigned Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Also Read: Germany increases visa quota for skilled Indian workers to 90,000 from 20,000 earlier

Jeffries, whose lover Matthew Smith was also accused, was accompanied by his wife and son and signed a $10 million bail bond, using a house in New York as collateral.

He will be subject to house arrest and electronic monitoring while awaiting trial.

Jeffries, Smith, and the couple’s handyman, James Jacobson, allegedly used a “casting chair” ruse to prepare male models willing to participate in orgies where victims were lured with alcohol and drugs.

Jeffries is also prohibited from contacting other defendants, witnesses or victims, court sources said.

The next hearing will be held on December 12 before judge Nusrat Choudhury.

Jacobson also denied the same accusations.

Also Read: As the rally in gold prices eases slightly, the stock market declines ahead of Dhanteras and Diwali

He will be tried under house arrest after paying bail of half a million dollars.

Smith has not yet been arraigned, but on Tuesday a federal judge in West Palm Beach, Florida, took him into custody, saying he posed a flight risk as a British passport holder.

Prosecutors allege that between December 2008 and March 2015, Jeffries, Smith and Jacobson used a combination of “force, fraud and coercion” to traffic men in a growing prostitution enterprise.

The charging documents detail 15 unnamed victims but prosecutors argue the scale is likely much larger and they are appealing for witnesses and victims to come forward.

The case stems from the BBC’s 2023 investigation “The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side of Cool.” In that investigation, several men spoke about signing confidentiality agreements for sex activities allegedly conducted by Jeffries.

Abercrombie and Fitch have previously said they are “appalled and disgusted” by allegations about Jeffries’ behavior and have “zero tolerance for abuse, harassment or discrimination of any kind.”

Also Read: Microsoft fires employees who organized memorial service for Palestinians killed in Gaza