Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch during the company’s meteoric rise in the 1990s, has been accused of luring men to events—then sexually abusing the attendees, according to the BBC. The broadcaster interviewed eight men who attended events organized by Jeffries and his boyfriend, Matthew Smith, who said they were coerced into various sex acts. David Bradberry, an up-and-coming model, alleged that James Jacobson, a middleman in the company’s recruitment process, “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.” He continued, saying, “It was like he was selling fame, and the price was compliance.” At a company event, Bradberry recalled that Jeffries disoriented him by holding poppers under his nose and afterward, had sex with him. Abercrombie & Fitch told the BBC that it was “appalled and disgusted” by Jeffries’ alleged conduct and that it had “zero tolerance for abuse, harassment, or discrimination of any kind.” Two ex-U.S. prosecutors also reviewed the evidence gathered by BBC News and told the broadcaster that the executive should be investigated for sex trafficking.
