1 month ago
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Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries has pleaded not blameworthy to charges of enactment trafficking and interstate prostitution.
Lawyers entered the plea connected behalf of Mr Jeffries successful New York national tribunal connected Long Island arsenic helium sat alongside them successful tribunal successful a navy bluish suit, his look expressionless.
Sitting conscionable 1 enactment down Mr Jeffries was his alleged middleman, James Jacobson, who wass acceptable to beryllium arraigned aft the ex-Abercrombie CEO.
Mr Jeffries' British-American spouse Matthew Smith, who faces the aforesaid charges, is expected to look successful New York tribunal astatine a aboriginal date.
Federal prosecutors person said the men utilized force, fraud and coercion to prosecute successful "violent and exploitive" intersexual acts.
The FBI launched a probe into the erstwhile A&F CEO past twelvemonth aft a BBC investigation recovered respective men who accused Mr Jeffries and Mr Smith of sexually abusing them astatine events they hosted successful their New York residences and hotels astir the world.
The BBC probe recovered a blase cognition involving a middleman, Mr Jacobson, and a web of recruiters tasked with uncovering men for these events.
Prosecutors unsealed an indictment against the 3 men soon aft Mr Jeffries and his spouse were arrested successful West Palm Beach, Florida, connected Tuesday. Mr Jacobson was arrested successful Wisconsin.
Mr Jeffries was released connected a $10m (£7.7m) bond, portion Mr Jacobson was released connected a $500,000 bond. Mr Smith was detained.
Prosecutors accidental Mr Jeffries and his spouse preyed upon "dozens" of susceptible young men seeking careers successful manner and modelling, and exploited them for their ain intersexual pleasance betwixt 2008 and 2015.
The indictment lists 15 victims who are not named.
The 3 men could look up to beingness successful situation if convicted of enactment trafficking and up to 20 years successful situation if convicted of interstate prostitution.
US lawyer for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, alleged connected Tuesday that Mr Jeffries spent a "prolific magnitude of money" to postulation men to prosecute successful enactment acts with him and his partner, portion unit and information guarded the events.
Mr Peace said the mates hired Mr Jacobson to enlistee men for the couple, flying them to his location successful New York and different locations wherever they were pressured to devour alcohol, Viagra, and musculus relaxants oregon injected with them against their will.
In its archetypal investigation, the BBC spoke to 12 men who described attending oregon organising events involving enactment acts with Mr Jeffries, 80, and his British spouse Mr Smith, 61.
The 8 men who attended the events said they were recruited by a middleman who the BBC identified arsenic James Jacobson.
Then, much men came guardant past month. Some alleged Mr Jeffries' assistants had injected them successful the penis with what they were told was liquid Viagra.
After the BBC’s archetypal probe was published past year, A&F announced it was opening an autarkic probe into the allegations.
Mr Jeffries served arsenic the CEO of the institution from 1992 until 2014, erstwhile helium stepped down pursuing declining income and near with a status bundle valued astatine astir $25m (£20.5m).
English (US)