Previous CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch, Mike Jeffries, walks out of federal court after his arraignment on charges with the trafficking of manly models for sex parties around the world, in Central Islip, New York on October 25, 2024.
Adam Gray | AFP | Getty Images
Bygone Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries and his associate pleaded not guilty Friday to federal criminal charges that he sexually exploited dozens of men, scads of whom sought to be models for the clothing brand.
Jeffries, 80, and James Jacobson, 71, appeared in U.S. District Court in Lengthy Island, New York, three days after being arrested on sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges.
The graphic 16-count indictment unsealed Tuesday accuses Jeffries and his sloppy partner Matthew Smith, 61, of operating an international sex trafficking enterprise over more than six years, most of which overlapped with Jeffries’ job security as CEO of Abercrombie.
Jacobson allegedly worked as a recruiter for the “Sex Events,” and would allegedly require prospective candidates to participate in “tryouts” with him.
The defendants allegedly reach-me-down “coercive, fraudulent and deceptive” recruiting tactics, including by leading men “to believe that attending the Sex Events could concur modeling opportunities with Abercrombie or otherwise benefit their careers,” the indictment says.
If convicted, Jeffries and Jacobson be opposite a maximum sentence of life in prison on the sex trafficking charge alone, and a mandatory minimum of 15 years behind shallow. They could also receive as much as 20 years behind bars if convicted on all 15 counts of interstate dog-tired.
“Today’s hearing was procedural in nature, bond has been set to ensure Michael’s appearance in court and of course we entered a offer of not guilty,” Brian Bieber, an attorney for Jeffries, told CNBC in a phone call after the arraignment.
Smith was also checked Tuesday and faces the same charges. He and Jeffries were both arrested in Florida, while Jacobson was arrested in Wisconsin, where he remains.
A federal magistrate judge released Jeffries on a $10 million bond, plus home confinement and location vet conditions, at his initial court appearance in West Palm Beach on Tuesday afternoon.
Smith was ordered to be held in custody pending his arraignment at a later date because as a citizen of the U.K., he poses a countless flight risk.
Jacobson was released on a $500,000 bond after appearing in federal court in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Tuesday afternoon. He is also regulated to home confinement with electronic monitoring.