Abercrombie & Fitch: How my investigation led to sex-trafficking charges against former boss

In a federal courtroom in New York, for the first time I face Mike Jeffries – the multi-millionaire former fashion boss I spent three years investigating for the BBC. He looks directly at me, lips pursed and chin raised, as he sits in front of the judge.

As a result of my reporting, he Arrested by the FBI this week and is accused of running an international sex trafficking and prostitution business with his British partner Matthew Smith and their middleman James Jacobson.

After listening to my podcast series, the authorities acted. Abercrombie guysWhere I found evidence that Mr Jeffries, 80, and Mr Smith, 61, was at the center of a sophisticated global operation involving a network of recruiters And a middleman is scouting young men for sex.

As CEO of teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries was described to me as an eccentric and superstitious genius who, with his highlighted hair and flip-flops and penchant for plastic surgery, epitomized the youthful all-American brand he created. .

But now, her hair white, her fillers dissolved, and wearing an ankle monitor — she seems a shadow of the mogul who used her power and strength to abuse vulnerable models while in charge.

U.S. prosecutors said she and other defendants used force, fraud and coercion to lure men into violent and exploitative sex acts from at least 2008-2015. They face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

Shoulders slumped, Mr Jeffries' face was blank as his lawyer entered a plea of ​​not guilty. Her partner Matthew Smith – a UK national – has yet to appear in court. He is considered a flight risk by authorities and is currently being held pending trial.

Warning: This story contains depictions of sexual activity

When I think back to how my own investigation began in January 2021, I never imagined it would lead to this moment.

During the pandemic, I was researching the fashion industry when I stumbled upon a cryptic Instagram comment written by a former model named Barrett Pall.

She was part of a group where they discussed how abuse against male models has been ignored. “We saw it happen with #MeToo, how about #UsToo?” One wrote.

We got the phone soon. After an hour of talking, he said he could confide in me a secret he had never shared before.

“It's probably like the darkest experience I've ever dealt with,” he told me. “Someone came and shaved me like my whole body, because that's how they like boys.”

In 2011, Barrett, then 22, said she was referred by an older model, who was a close friend, to meet a mysterious middleman who she described as missing a nose covered with a snakeskin patch.

She said the man – whom I later identified through phone and property records as James Jacobson – forced her to perform sexual acts as a “tryout” before sending her to Mike Jeffries, then CEO and chairman of Abercrombie & Fitch, and his British partner. .

Barrett claims that, over the years, the pair have been throwing elaborate sexual events at their palatial home in the Hamptons. He said the one he attended was aided by chaperones in Abercrombie polos and flip-flops, carrying silver platters of booze, poppers and lube.

What Barrett told me sparked my initial two years of investigation. I have traveled across America, from the suburbs of Ohio to the desert of Palm Springs, seeking out victims and confronting those involved – including middlemen.

Usually when I'm investigating, I can find some loose thread by searching newspaper archives, court records or social media. But there was absolutely nothing in the public domain about these allegations.

So I took an old-school approach, piecing my own way through word of mouth, knocking on doors and sending handwritten letters to potential sources. I tracked down and contacted hundreds of people, including former Abercrombie & Fitch models and former housekeepers for Mr. Jeffries, gaining trust over months.

Then, a huge breakthrough.

Barrett Pal had an old iPad that wouldn't turn on – but we fixed it. Through it, I received an itinerary and flight ticket supporting an event I attended in the Hamptons. It was sent by mediator James Jacobson and contained the names and numbers of others involved.

I later recovered more than a dozen of these trips from various sources, finally giving me concrete leads. But I don't want to tip off the wrong person while I'm in evidence-gathering mode, it took me months to figure out their role.

Many men were wary of speaking. Two accused me of being a “spy” for Mike Jeffries – primarily out of fear of his “money and influence”. After facing hundreds of hacking attempts every day from unknown IP addresses I also became increasingly confused.

We were right to be cautious. In their complaint, unsealed Tuesday, prosecutors said Mike Jefferies hired a full-service security firm to oversee non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), conduct background checks and monitor and intimidate anyone who threatened to reveal them.

I have since spoken to more than 20 men who attended or helped organize these events for Mr Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith. Some, like Luke, an aspiring model who told me he was recruited under the guise of participating in an A&F photo shoot, said they were misled and not told sex was involved.

How has this operation been hidden for so long?

The answer I arrived at was that the shame some men felt in speaking out about homophobic abuse silenced them as effectively as any NDA. Some told me they were suicidal, others completely broken. In many cases, I was the first person they confided in.

One man, whom I'll call Alex, broke down as he told me he believed he had been drugged and raped by an unknown assailant at a grand ceremony in Marrakesh that had been attended by dozens of men.

He believed it had infected him with HIV. “Jeffreys was the kingpin,” he told me at the time. “None of this could have happened without him.”

Before publication, I worked with BBC Panorama to verify the authenticity of my evidence. It involved talking to those inside the operation, including James Jacobson.

When podcast producer Ruth Evans and I knocked on his door on a blustery day in rural Wisconsin in August 2023, he sank into his step, swearing with his head in his hands. He asked me for a deal. “Drop my name and I'll tell you everything,” she said.

Mr. Jacobson repeated the request dozens of times the next day, when he agreed to meet for coffee. We talked for two hours.

At times it was odd – he complimented my shorthand, commented on my British accent and seemed to patronize me – calling me “dear”. He's a former actor and at one point put on a bunch of accents, and pretended to wear a costume, trying to convince me he could do an anonymous interview.

But he was also charismatic, and joked about his missing nose that the only work he could get these days was as a Bond villain. Finally, Mr. Jacobson said he was just “doing his job” and had not spoken to Jeffries or Smith since 2015.

In the end, he didn't get his deal, and in court, he once again sat with his head in his hands as his lawyer entered a not guilty plea.

After we published it in October 2023, some of the men in this story took legal action against Mike Jeffries, Matthew Smith and Abercrombie & Fitch, who they are suing for rape, assault and sex trafficking. All deny wrongdoing. The lawsuit claims more than 100 men were abused during Jeffries' tenure.

Sources also started contacting me saying they had been contacted by law enforcement.

We were not involved in the FBI's investigation – which was completely independent of me. Protecting the source is an integral part of my work. So men will decide to speak.

Looking back, there were moments I thought about giving up. I initially encountered dead end after dead end. But the more I listened, the more I felt for the first time a responsibility to bring it to light and hold those involved accountable.

More than two years after our first conversation, I asked Barrett Pall why he decided to talk to me.

She began to cry and said: “My gut told me to trust him. Tell him your story. And maybe, just maybe, someone will listen.”

Announcing the charges, US Attorney Bren Peace said: “To those who think they can exploit and coerce others using the so-called 'casting couch' system, this case should serve as a warning. Get ready to trade that couch for a bed in a federal prison.”