NEW YORK – Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was arrested Tuesday in connection with a federal investigation into interstate sex trafficking and prostitution, law enforcement sources told CBS News New York.
Prosecutors are expected to reveal more details at a news conference expected around noon in Brooklyn.
Jeffries was mentioned earlier in a class action lawsuit accusing him of running a “widespread sex trafficking operation.” That lawsuit alleged that he used his position at the company to prey on young men by suggesting that the company hire them as models.
The lawsuit alleged that Jeffries lured young men to his Hamptons estate for casting interviews. Once there, he allegedly made them sign non-disclosure agreements, undress, use drugs and perform sex acts on himself and his partner Matthew Smith. according to the lawsuit.
Jeffries is expected to appear in a courtroom in Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday afternoon.
Jeffries’ attorney, Brian Bieber, said in an email to the Associated Press that he would “respond in detail to the allegations after the indictment is unsealed, and when appropriate, but intends to do so at the courthouse – not in the media.”
Jeffries became CEO of the company in 1992 and left in 2014 with a retirement package of more than $25 million, according to the lawsuit. Abercrombie & Fitch said it had no comment on the arrest.
The company has previously said it has hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations.
Check back soon for more on this developing story.
