Ex-Abercrombie CEO charged with sex crimes

The Manila Times

Ex-Abercrombie CEO charged with sex crimes   The former chief executive of the Abercrombie and Fitch clothing empire has been arrested and charged with the trafficking of male models for sex parties around the world, says US Attorney Breon Peace. Ex-CEO Mike Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and the pair's fixer James Jacobson allegedly used a "casting couch" ploy to groom aspiring male models to attend sex parties at which victims were plied with alcohol and drugs.   US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE / AFP VIDEO   Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe    Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein    #TheManilaTimes  #tmtnews  #abercombieandfitch  #mikejeffries  #matthewsmith

Transcript

00:00To anyone who thinks they can exploit and coerce others by using the so-called

00:05casting couch system, this case should serve as a warning. Prepare to trade that

00:12couch for a bed in federal prison. But while Jeffries was the CEO of one of the

00:18most recognizable clothing retailers in the world, he was using his power, his

00:25wealth, and his influence to traffic men for his own sexual pleasure and that of

00:32his romantic partner Matthew Smith. But beyond simply hiring men for sex,

00:38Jeffries, Smith, and Jacobson used force, fraud, and coercion to traffic those men

00:47for their own sexual gratification. For example, as alleged, the defendants

00:54employed a referral system and an interview process that did not inform

01:01the men of the details of the sex events before they attended, including the full

01:07extent and nature of the sexual activity that would be required of the men at

01:12these events. They caused the men to believe that attending these sex events

01:17could yield modeling opportunities with Abercrombie or otherwise benefit their

01:22careers. Smith and Jeffries employed a secret staff to operate these sex events.

01:31The indictment alleges on more than one occasion when men did not or could not

01:38consent, Jeffries and Smith violated the bodily integrity of these men by

01:44subjecting them or continuing to subject them to invasive sexual and violent

01:51contact by body parts and other objects. The defendants caused the men to believe

01:59that not complying with requests for certain acts, sex acts, during the events

02:04could harm their careers. The defendants pressured the men to consume alcohol,

02:11Viagra, and muscle relaxants known as poppers during the sex events, and they

02:17required the presence of staff during the sexual activity and ensured that the

02:22men did not leave the sex events until Jeffries and Smith decided that the

02:29sessions were over. They spent millions of dollars on a massive infrastructure

02:34to support this operation and maintain its secrecy. This included hundreds,

02:41thousands of dollars of cash for commercial sex, prolific amounts of money

02:47for staff to run the sex events, money for domestic travel, international travel,

02:54hotel rooms, services from a security company, and Jacobson's salary, among other things.

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