Formerly Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries, his partner Matt Smith and a third man, Jim Jacobson, were arrested Tuesday as part of a criminal sex trade investigation by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, sources familiar with the investigation told ABC News.
The investigation was about whether the men sexually exploited and abused young men at parties they hosted in the United States and around the world, the sources said.
Federal prosecutors acknowledged the investigation in January after alleged victims filed a civil lawsuit a year ago.
Jeffries, who turned Abercrombie from a traditional Ohio outfitter into a powerful teen fashion brand, has been accused in civil lawsuits of exploiting young men for sex at parties he held at his Hamptons estate in New York, London, Venice and at other places with his partner, Smed.
The alleged victims have said they were recruited by an intermediary, Jacobson.
One of the plaintiffs, David Bradberry, a former crewman on the reality series “Below Deck,” said Jeffries made Abercrombie successful through the “oversexualization of young men.”
His lawsuit accused Jeffries, Smith, Jacobson and Abercrombie themselves of luring attractive young men under the guise of making them an Abercrombie model and then forcing them to take drugs and perform sex acts.
“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York has opened a criminal investigation into the alleged incidents and events discussed in the plaintiff’s complaint,” prosecutors said in a court filing.
“We will respond in detail to the allegations after the indictment is filed, and when appropriate, but plan to do so in the courtroom — not the media,” Brian Bieber, an attorney for Michael Jeffries, told ABC News Tuesday.
The plaintiffs’ attorney, Brad Edwards of Edwards Henderson, told ABC News in a statement: “As we wrote in our lawsuit, this was an Abercrombie-run, sex-trafficking organization that permeated the entire company and allowed the three individuals arrested today to victimize dozens and dozens of young , would-be male models to victims.”
This is a development story. Check back for updates.