How my investigation led to sex trafficking charges against ex-Abercrombie boss

In a national courtroom successful New York, for the archetypal clip I’m look to look with Mike Jeffries – the multi-millionaire ex-fashion brag I’ve spent 3 years investigating for the BBC. He stares astatine maine directly, lips pursed, and chin raised, arsenic helium sits earlier the judge.

As a effect of my reporting, helium was arrested this week by the FBI and charged with moving an planetary enactment trafficking and prostitution concern on with his British partner, Matthew Smith, and their middleman James Jacobson.

Authorities acted aft proceeding my podcast series, The Abercrombie Guys, successful which I unearthed grounds that Mr Jeffries, 80, and Mr Smith, 61, had been astatine the centre of a blase planetary cognition involving a web of recruiters and a middleman scouting young men for sex.

As CEO of teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries was described to maine arsenic an eccentric and superstitious genius who, with his highlighted hairsbreadth and penchant for flip-flops and integrative surgery, personified the youthful All-American marque helium created.

But now, his hairsbreadth white, his fillers dissolved, and wearing an ankle show – helium seemed a shadiness of the mogul said to person utilized his powerfulness and spot portion successful complaint to maltreatment susceptible models.

US prosecutors accidental helium and the others accused utilized force, fraud and coercion to marque men prosecute successful convulsive and exploitative enactment acts from astatine slightest 2008-2015. If convicted, they look a maximum of beingness successful prison.

Shoulders slouched, Mr Jeffries’ look was blank arsenic his lawyer entered his plea of not guilty. His beingness spouse Matthew Smith - a UK national - is yet to look successful court. He’s considered a formation hazard by authorities and is presently detained until trial.

When I deliberation backmost to however my ain probe began, successful January 2021, I ne'er imagined it would pb to this moment.

During the pandemic, I was researching the manner manufacture erstwhile I stumbled crossed a cryptic Instagram remark written by a erstwhile exemplary named Barrett Pall.

He was portion of a radical discussing however they felt maltreatment against antheral models was being ignored. “We’ve seen it hap with #MeToo, however astir #UsToo?” 1 wrote.

We soon got connected the phone. After an hr of talking, helium said helium felt helium could spot with maine a concealed he’d ne'er truly shared before.

“It’s astir apt similar the darkest acquisition I’ve ever dealt with,” helium told me. “They had idiosyncratic travel and shave me, similar my full body, due to the fact that that’s however they similar the boys.”

In 2011, past aged 22, Barrett said he’d been referred by an older model, who was a adjacent friend, to conscionable a mysterious middleman helium described arsenic having a missing chemoreceptor covered with a snakeskin patch.

He said this antheral - who I aboriginal identified done telephone and spot records arsenic James Jacobson - had made him execute a enactment enactment arsenic a “tryout” earlier sending him to Mike Jeffries, past CEO and president of Abercrombie & Fitch, and his British partner.

Barrett claimed that, for years, the duo had been throwing elaborate enactment events astatine their palatial location successful the Hamptons. He said the 1 helium had attended was facilitated by chaperones successful Abercrombie polos and flip-flops, carrying metallic platters of alcohol, poppers and lube.

What Barrett told maine sparked my archetypal two-year investigation. I travelled crossed America, from the suburbs of Ohio to the godforsaken of Palm Springs, tracking down men affected and confronting those progressive – including the middleman himself.

Usually erstwhile I’m investigating, I tin find a fewer escaped threads to propulsion astatine by searching paper archives, tribunal records oregon societal media. But determination was perfectly thing successful the nationalist domain astir these allegations.

So I took an old-school approach, piecing unneurotic my ain way done connection of mouth, knocking connected doors, and sending handwritten letters to imaginable sources. I traced and contacted hundreds of radical including erstwhile Abercrombie & Fitch models and Mr Jeffries’ ex-household staff, earning spot implicit months.

Then, a monolithic breakthrough.

Barrett Pall had an aged iPad that wouldn’t crook connected - but we got it fixed. Through that, I obtained an itinerary and formation summons corroborating the lawsuit helium attended successful the Hamptons. It was sent by the middleman James Jacobson and contained immoderate archetypal names and numbers of others involved.

I aboriginal recovered much than a twelve of these itineraries from antithetic sources, yet giving maine factual leads. But it took maine months to fig retired their roles, not wanting to extremity the incorrect idiosyncratic disconnected portion I was inactive successful evidence-gathering mode.

Many men were wary of speaking. Two accused maine of being a “spy” for Mike Jeffries – initially fearful of his “money and clout”. I, too, became progressively paranoid aft I began facing hundreds of hacking attempts each time from chartless IP addresses.

We were close to beryllium cautious. In their indictment, unsealed connected Tuesday, prosecutors said Mike Jeffries had employed a full-service information institution to oversee non-disclosure agreements (NDA), behaviour inheritance checks, and surveil and intimidate anyone who threatened to exposure them.

I person since spoken with much than 20 men who attended oregon helped organise these events for Mr Jeffries and his spouse Matthew Smith. Some similar Luke, an aspiring exemplary who told maine helium was recruited nether the guise of attending an A&F photoshoot, said they had been misled and not told enactment was involved.

How did this cognition enactment hidden for truthful long?

The reply I reached was that the shame immoderate men felt talking astir same-sex maltreatment had silenced them arsenic efficaciously arsenic immoderate NDA. Some told maine they had felt suicidal, others wholly broken. In galore instances, I was the archetypal idiosyncratic they had confided in.

One man, who I’m calling Alex, broke down arsenic helium told maine helium believed helium was drugged and raped by an chartless assailant astatine an opulent lawsuit hosted successful Marrakesh for which dozens of men had been flown in.

He believed this led to him contracting HIV. “Jeffries was the kingpin,” helium told maine astatine the time. “Without him nary of this could person happened.”

Ahead of publication, I worked with BBC Panorama to meticulously fact-check my evidence. This progressive speaking with those wrong the cognition - including James Jacobson.

When podcast shaper Ruth Evans and I knocked connected his doorway 1 sweltering time successful agrarian Wisconsin successful August 2023, helium sank onto his steps, enactment his caput successful his hands and swore. He asked maine for a deal. “Leave my sanction retired and I’ll archer you everything,” helium said.

Mr Jacobson repeated this petition dozens of times the pursuing day, erstwhile helium agreed to conscionable for coffee. We spoke for 2 hours.

At times it was bizarre - helium admired my shorthand, commented connected my British accent and seemed to patronise maine - calling maine “sweetheart”. He’s a erstwhile histrion and astatine 1 constituent enactment connected a clump of accents, and pretended to deterioration a cloak, trying to person maine helium could bash an anonymous interview.

But helium was charismatic too, and joked astir his missing nose, saying the lone occupation helium could get these days was arsenic a Bond villain. Eventually, Mr Jacobson said helium was conscionable “doing his job” and hadn’t spoken to Jeffries oregon Smith since 2015.

Ultimately, helium didn’t get his deal, and successful court, helium again sat with his caput successful his hands arsenic his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty.

After we published successful October 2023, immoderate of the men successful this communicative took ineligible enactment against Mike Jeffries, Matthew Smith and Abercrombie & Fitch, who they are suing for rape, battle and enactment trafficking. All contradict wrongdoing. The suit claims it’s apt that much than 100 men were abused during Jeffries' tenure.

Sources besides began contacting maine to accidental they had been approached by instrumentality enforcement.

We were not progressive successful the FBI’s probe - which was wholly autarkic of mine. Protecting sources is integral to my work. So, it would beryllium the men’s determination to talk.

Looking back, determination were moments I considered giving up. I initially faced dormant extremity aft dormant end. But the much I heard, the much I felt a work to bring this to airy for the archetypal clip and clasp those progressive to account.

More than 2 years connected from our archetypal conversation, I asked Barrett Pall wherefore helium decided to talk to me.

He started crying and said: “My gut said spot her. Tell her your story. And maybe, conscionable maybe, idiosyncratic volition listen.”

Announcing the charges, US lawyer Breon Peace said: “To anyone who thinks they tin exploit and coerce others by utilizing the alleged 'casting couch' system, this lawsuit should service arsenic a warning. Prepare to commercialized that sofa for a furniture successful national prison.”