‘I Was Not Human’: Men Narrate How Abercrombie & Fitch Ex-CEO Mike Jeffries Sexually Exploited Them – News18

Former CEO of fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, exploited young men for sex at various events he and his partner Matthew Smith hosted in the US and around the world, according to a report by the BBC. An investigation carried out by BBC Panorama revealed that Jeffries sexually “auditioned” them and told them to perform oral sex on them.

A middleman hired by the former boss is also accused of sexually abusing young men.

Eight men spoke to the BBC who said they attended events between 2009 and 2015 that involved sex acts and were run for the 79-year-old Jeffries and 60-year-old Smith.

Jeffries, once one of US highest-paid CEOs, stepped down from Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014.

The BBC report said that half of the men recruited alleged they were misled about the nature of events and were not told sex was expected. Some said they understood sex would be involved but did not know what was exactly expected of them.

Some of the men alleged they were abused and some told the BBC that there were possibilities of modelling contracts with the brand before they met the CEOs.

They told the news outlets that during events Jeffries and Smith would engage in sexual activity with about four men and on occasions would direct them to have sex with each other.

The men said they were handed envelopes filled with cash worth thousands of dollars after the event. Barring one, all men said that they were harmed.

“I was not a human to any of these people. I was a body. I was being presented to someone, to do what they wanted with,” one victim, told the BBC in the The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side of Cool.

The middlemen mentioned above was identified as 70-year-old James Jacobson who was described as gatekeeper to “the owners” of A&F by one of the victims.

Another victim said: “Jim made it clear to me that unless I let him perform oral sex on me, that I would not be meeting with Abercrombie & Fitch or Mike Jeffries”.

“I was paralysed. It was like he was selling fame. And the price was compliance,” David Bradberry said while speaking to the news outlet.

Jacobson said in a statement that he was offended over allegations that he “coerced” the victims or appeared “deceptive” or engaged in “forceful behaviour”. He also said he did not make promises of modelling opportunities.

“Any encounter I had was fully consensual. Everyone I came into contact with who attended these events went in with their eyes wide open,” he said.

Abercrombie and Fitch told the news outlets that the behaviour of the former CEO has “appalled and disgusted” the clothing brand and it has transformed into “the values-driven organisation we are today” under the new leadership, who have “zero tolerance for abuse, harassment or discrimination of any kind”.