Ex-Abercrombie CEO arrested on sex trafficking charges

The former CEO of fashion giant Abercrombie & Fitch and his British partner have been arrested and are facing sex trafficking charges, the BBC understands.

Mike Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and the couple’s alleged middle-man were arrested on Tuesday morning.

The FBI and prosecutor's office are expected to announce more details at a press conference shortly.

Lawyers for Mr Jeffries and Mr Smith have been approached for comment. They have previously "vehemently denied" any wrongdoing by both men.

The FBI opened an investigation last year after the BBC revealed claims that Mike Jeffries and his partner sexually exploited and abused men at events they hosted in their New York residences and hotels around the world.

A BBC investigation found there was sophisticated operation involving a middleman and network of recruiters tasked with recruiting men for the events.

Confirming the arrest, Brad Edwards of firm Edwards Henderson, a civil lawyer representing some of the alleged victims, said: "These arrests are a huge first step towards obtaining justice for the many victims who were exploited and abused through this sex-trafficking scheme that operated for many years under the legitimate cover Abercrombie provided.

"The unprecedented reporting of the BBC, coupled with the lawsuit our firm filed detailing the operation, are to credit for these monumental arrests. This was the result of impressive investigative journalism."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgj4j05wy31o

>>21809750

'I tried to say no repeatedly': More men accuse ex-Abercrombie boss over sex events

More men have come forward to the BBC accusing the former chief executive of Abercrombie & Fitch and his British partner of sexual exploitation. Some allege they were abused, and some that they were injected with drugs.

Luke says he was shocked as he was guided into Mike Jeffries’ presidential suite in a hotel in Spain. "It was like a movie set of an Abercrombie store," he recalls of the event in 2011. "And I thought we were going to do a photoshoot."

He says the room was dimly lit with erotic photos of men’s abs adorning the dark walls. In the middle, a group of assistants dressed in Abercrombie & Fitch uniforms - polos, blue jeans and flip-flops - were casually folding clothes on a table, pretending to be shop workers, he says.

Then aged 20, Luke says he had been offered the chance of being in a company advert if he flew from his home in Los Angeles to Madrid to meet the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F).

Luke says the proposal had come via a modelling website from a man who said he worked as a talent scout and executive assistant for Mr Jeffries - then head of the billion-dollar teen retailer.

In the suite, he says Mr Jeffries' assistants began engaging in role-play, encouraging him to act as a shirtless greeter, a hallmark of A&F stores at the time. Luke says he remembers the talent scout saying: "Now I have two very important guests, and these are going to be the customers that you need to impress and entertain because they're going to be buying a lot of clothes from you."

At that moment, he says Mr Jeffries and his life partner, Matthew Smith, came out of a corner of the room. They immediately started touching him and Mr Jeffries forcibly kissed him, he says. "I was trying to avoid the whole situation as much as I could, but Michael was very aggressive." He says the Abercrombie boss then performed oral sex on him.

“I tried to say no repeatedly. And then I just got kind of convinced to do something. But I constantly was saying no, and I wanted to go.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj9l9dlgpmno

>>21810023

>what are valiant pans?

I believe they are parts of old Plymouth cars.