Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO accused of using company for sexual exploitation plot

The former CEO of the American clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, and his partner, the British Matthew Smith, have been accused in a BBC documentary of abuse and exploitation of several men who were recruited to attend sexual events. with them.

The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side of Cool, which airs this Monday, includes the testimony of men who explain how between 2009 and 2015 they were recruited by an intermediary through manipulation and pretense to be able to climb in their careers.

On its website, the British public broadcaster assures that its two-year investigation, whose data it has consulted with former United States prosecutors, uncovers that the couple sponsored a highly organized network dedicated to attracting young people to these events in various parts of the world.

“They attended with their eyes wide open”

Jeffries and Smith have not commented to the station, while the intermediary, identified as James Jacobson, has denied any illegality and states that the men attended those events “with their eyes wide open.”

For its part, Abercrombie & Fitch, which Jeffries left in 2014, has said it is “horrified and disgusted” with the former executive's alleged behavior.

The BBC claims to have spoken to a total of twelve men who have described participating in or organizing these sexual evenings for the enjoyment of Jeffries, 79, and Smith, 60, in that six-year period.

The eight men who attended as participants reveal that they were recruited by Jacobson, recognizable by the snakeskin patch covering his nose area.

Some of these witnesses, who were in their twenties at the time, say that they were deceived, others claim that they knew that there would be sexual events but did not know what their role would be.. They all received money and in some cases Jacobson also forced them to submit to sexual acts with him.

Most maintain that they were abused and that the experience has left them scarred. The testimonies reveal that the intermediary paid other scouts to recruit multitudes of young people and that all those attending the parties were forced to sign confidentiality contracts, in addition to other details about how the alleged operation worked.