Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has announced that it is investigating allegations against its former CEO.
Mike Jeffries has been accused of exploiting men at international sex events that he hosted.
An investigation by the BBC revealed that an organized network used a middleman to recruit young adult males for events with Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Smith’s partner, Matthew Smith, with some alleging abuse.
Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Smith did not respond to comment requests.
Since being contacted by the BBC, A&F, which operates approximately 850 stores worldwide, including its Hollister brand, has hired an “outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation” into the allegations. It stated that it was “appalled and disgusted” by the behavior in question.
There is no evidence that the company was aware of the BBC’s discovery of allegations of sexual exploitation at sex events.
It has previously referred to Mr. Jeffries as its modern-day founder, as he transformed the Ohio-based brand from a failing heritage outfitter to a multibillion-dollar adolescent retailer during the 1990s. According to company filings at the time, he departed with a retirement package valued at approximately $25 million (£20.5 million) in 2014 due to declining sales.
According to BBC Panorama, in the months preceding Mike Jeffries’ departure, a pension fund invested in A&F brought legal proceedings alleging that the company had paid out settlements in response to allegations of “misconduct” by its then-CEO.
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has announced that it is investigating allegations against its former CEO.
A source requesting anonymity stated that he had seen internal documents documenting payoffs for staff and contract employees complaining about Mr. Jeffries’ behavior. According to the source, the documents he reviewed did not disclose the nature of the complaints.
BBC Panorama inquired if the complaints were sexual, but A&F refused to respond.
After the BBC published its investigation into allegations of exploitation at sex events on Monday, A&F stated that it “was unaware of the sexual misconduct allegations” and that its new leadership had transformed the company into “the values-driven organisation we are today.”
Mr. Jeffries allegedly exploited men for sex at events he hosted in his New York residences and luxurious hotels around the globe, including in London, Paris, Venice, and Marrakech, according to a two-year BBC investigation.
Between 2009 and 2015, twelve men described attending or organizing events featuring sex acts for the 79-year-old fashion mogul and his 60-year-old British companion, Mr. Smith.
The eight men who attended the events stated that a man with a missing snout and a snakeskin patch recruited them. The BBC has identified him as James Jacobson.
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has announced that it is investigating allegations against its former CEO.
Half of the men who spoke to the BBC about their recruitment claimed they were initially misled about the nature of the events or were not informed that sex was involved. Others stated that they knew the events would be sexual, but this was not precisely what they expected. Everyone was compensated.
Mr. Jacobson refuted any wrongdoing and stated that all participants entered the events “with their eyes open.”
Warning: This story contains explicit sexual content
Men who attended these occasions told the BBC Mr Jeffries and Mr Smith would engage in sexual activity with about four men – or “direct” them to have sex with each other. The men reported that personnel at the event gave them envelopes containing thousands of dollars in cash.
David Bradberry, who was 23 then, said he was introduced to Mr. Jacobson in 2010 by an agent who described him as the gatekeeper to “the owners” of A&F, but no mention of sex was made. During their meeting, he stated that Mr. Jacobson suggested that Bruce Weber, A&F’s official photographer at the time, capture his photograph.
Then, Mr. Bradberry stated, “Jim made it clear that I would not meet with Abercrombie & Fitch or Mike Jeffries unless I agreed to oral sex with him.” He described his condition as “paralysed.”
In retrospect, he acknowledges that this incident should have been a “red flag,” but he viewed Mr. Jacobson as “just a creepy old man I wouldn’t have to see again.”
Later, Mr. Bradberry accepted an invitation to a daytime event at Mr. Jeffries’ former Hamptons property on New York’s Long Island, which was sold for $29 million. He claimed to have discussed his aspirations to become an A&F model with Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Smith. Then, he claimed, Mr. Jeffries held “poppers” (a drug that can induce a strong head rush and disorientation) under his nose and later engaged in sexual activity with him.
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has announced that it is investigating allegations against its former CEO.
Signing a nondisclosure agreement “felt like intimidation” – David Bradberry.
In 2011, Barrett Pall reported feeling pressured to attend an event in the Hamptons. When he was 22, he claimed that an older model who received a referral fee recruited him as his “replacement” for “some sort of sexual experience” with the couple. He stated that he consented because the older model had helped him financially and felt indebted to him.
Mr. Pall reported that the elder model told him, “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” but suggested, “The further you go, the better,” alluding to career opportunities. He felt compelled to “perform” when he arrived at the event. Mr. Pall stated at one point that Mr. Jeffries was molesting him from behind.
“I believe this experience has broken me,” he said. “I believe that this robbed me of any remaining innocence. It affected my mental state. But with the vocabulary I possess now, I can inform you that I was taken advantage of.”
Barrett Pall stated that his experience left him feeling devastated.
In 2011, dozens of males were flown to Marrakesh for the largest event described to the BBC, which took place in a private villa at a five-star hotel. According to the BBC, Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Smith are also guests. Alex, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, explained that he was a struggling model supporting his family back home when he was recruited as a performer for the event, where he anticipated having to strip.
Alex, a straight man in his twenties at the time, claimed he auditioned for Mr. Jacobson, who praised his dancing but demanded he “finish the job” by engaging in oral sex with him. “I had debt, and I wanted to support my family,” Alex explained. “I completed the task while feeling disgusted.”
Alex flew to Marrakesh for the event a few weeks later, believing that “the hardest part had been completed.” However, moments into his performance, Mr. Jeffries allegedly attempted to kiss him. “I attempted to participate without offending him. “I was extremely uneasy,” Alex stated.
Eventually, he said he hid in a back room and fell unconscious. Alex stated that he awoke with a prophylactic in his stomach and feared that the champagne he was given earlier had been tampered with.
“After putting the pieces together, I believe there is a strong possibility that I was drugged and assaulted. “I will likely never know for certain what happened,” he said.
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has announced that it is investigating allegations against its former CEO.
A civil attorney who reviewed the BBC’s evidence recommended that US prosecutors investigate whether what these “brave men” describe could constitute sex trafficking. Under US law, sex trafficking includes using force, fraud, or coercion to induce an adult to travel to another state or country in exchange for sexual services.
Brad Edwards stated, “There may have been evidence of coercion for some of the men, while others may not have felt the coercive tactics.”
He added that Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Smith could contend that the men were consenting adults and that the fact that some of them had engaged in commercial sex in the past was “a factor”; however, he stated that past actions were “really irrelevant” when determining whether a particular commercial sex act was the result of force, fraud, or coercion.
“Given the stories of these courageous men who have come forward, I believe it is vital that federal prosecutors investigate this case,” Mr. Edwards said, adding that prosecutors faced a “very high” burden of proof.
Over several weeks, the BBC made repeated attempts via letter, email, and phone to contact Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Smith, inviting them to respond to a detailed list of allegations and ensuring that they were fully aware of the allegations against them. There has been no response.
Mr. Jacobson, the 70-year-old intermediary, stated his attorney in which he took offense at the suggestion of “any coercive, deceptive, or forceful behavior on my part” and stated that he had “no knowledge of such conduct by others.”
He stated that he did not recall promising modeling opportunities. “Every encounter I had was entirely voluntary and never coercive,” he said. Everyone I’ve interacted with who attended these events did so with wide-open eyes.
SOURCE – (BBC)
