Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO denies sex trafficking and prostitution charges

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch pleaded not guilty Friday to federal sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges.

Michael Jeffries, 80, declined to comment after entering his plea in federal court in Central Islip on Long Island. He was released on $10 million bail and will appear in court again on December 12.

Prosecutors allege that Jeffries enticed men to attend sex parties for years, holding off the promise of her romantic partner and a third man, 71-year-old James Jacobson, to model for the once-stylish All clothing retailer. -American aesthetics and marketing with shirtless male models.

Jacobson, who was an employee of Jeffries when prosecutors said the crimes had been committed, also pleaded not guilty and refused to speak to reporters afterward.

In charges unsealed earlier this week, prosecutors said the 15 accusers were encouraged through “force, fraud and coercion” to participate in drug-fuelled orgies in which men were sometimes directed to wear costumes, use sex toys and endure painful erections. causing penile injections.

According to the indictment, the events took place between 2008 and 2015 in the Hamptons, the wealthy summer resort town on Long Island where Jeffries’ home is located, as well as in England, France, Italy, Morocco and St. Louis. It took place in hotels in Barts.

The allegations echo accusations of sexual harassment outlined in media reports and leveled in a civil lawsuit filed against Jeffries, who left Abercrombie in 2014 after leading the company for more than two decades.

Jeffries was released on bail after appearing in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday. His bond is secured by a property he and his wife own on pricey Fisher Island near Miami.