Who is Mike Jeffries? 80-year-old former CEO arrested on sex trafficking charges

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was arrested in West Palm Beach, along with his longtime partner Matthew Smith, on sex trafficking charges. The 80-year-old allegedly created fake job interviews where he sexually assaulted male models. He is accused of using his position and power at the American lifestyle retailer to lure and abuse young models.
He grew up in Los Angeles. An interview published in Salon in 2006 reports that his father owned a chain of party supply stores.
“I would always say to my parents, ‘We need another store. We need another!'” Jeffries recalled during the 2006 interview. “I always wanted to expand and get bigger, and I would get off on saying, ‘Why do we do the fixtures like this? Why don’t we do it another way?’ That totally turned me on,” he added.
Jeffries became the CEO of the company in 1996, and it initially saw incredible success under his leadership. However, it also brought in a series of scandals. The company faced backlash in 2002 over its racist T-shirts and suggestive thongs that were marketed for pre-teen girls.
Next year, in 2003, a group of ex-employees sued the company for racial discrimination. The company eventually settled for $40 million but never admitted any wrongdoings.
His 2006 interview with Salon also caused controversy after he infamously said, “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”
Eventually, he stepped down as CEO in 2014 after reports of struggling sales. A year before, he was removed as chairman. Since then, he mostly stayed out of the limelight until 2023, when he was accused of sexual assaults and sex trafficking.
The BBC conducted an investigation in 2023 where a group of men alleged that the former CEO sexually exploited them during events. “Two former US prosecutors who independently reviewed documents and testimony uncovered by the BBC have called for an investigation to determine whether charges for sex trafficking could be brought,” BBC said in a statement last year.
He was arrested a few days ago on the alleged charges, along with two other people. “Today’s arrests are monumental for the aspiring male models who were victimized by these individuals. Their fight for justice does not end here. We look forward to holding Abercrombie and Fitch liable for facilitating this terrible conduct and ensuring that this cannot happen again,” attorney Brittany Henderson said after his arrest.
61-year-old Matthew Smith, Jeffries’ romantic partner, was also implicated. In addition, 71-year-old James Jacobson was also indicted for his alleged involvement in recruiting men for Jeffries and Smith.
According to Reuters, each of them is charged with one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution. The charges are brought in relation to 15 unnamed victims.
If Jeffries and the two others are convicted, they can face possible life sentences, in addition to mandatory minimum 15-year prison terms for the sex trafficking charges. They can also face up to 20 years each for interstate prostitution charges.