Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Arrested for Sex Trafficking

Content warning: sexual violence.

The disgraced former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries and his British partner have been arrested on charges of sex trafficking, according to BBC.

Along with Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith, a third man, Jim Jacobson, who was allegedly their "middleman" was also arrested and charged.

"We will respond in detail to the allegations after the Indictment is unsealed, and when appropriate, but plan to do so in the courthouse – not the media," Jeffries' lawyer said in a statement.

The men have been under investigation by the FBI since last year after claims that they exploited and abused men at their New York residence.

READ MORE: Abercrombie & Fitch Insists It's Changed From Its 'Problematic' Past

According to ABC News, the alleged victims of Jeffries and Smith filed a civil lawsuit against the former CEO last year and the FBI acknowledged a formal investigation into the claims in January.

Jeffries allegedly hosted parties in the Hamptons, London, Venice and more with Smith during which the alleged sexual assaults occurred, per ABC.

The victims claimed they were recruited by Jacobson to attend the parties.

The outlet reported that one of the victims, David Bradberry of Below Deck, accused the men and Abercrombie of "luring attractive young men under the guise of making them an Abercrombie model and then forcing them to take drugs and perform sex acts."

"As we laid out in our lawsuit, this was an Abercrombie run, sex trafficking organization that permeated throughout the company and allowed the three individuals arrested today to victimize dozens and dozens of young, aspiring male models," the attorney for the plaintiff, Brad Edwards, told ABC News in a statement.

Jeffries stepped down as CEO of Abercrombie in 2014 and was the subject of the 2022 Netflix documentary White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch.

The documentary exposed the iconic mall store's allegedly discriminatory hiring process and more unsavory testimonies from Jeffries' reign.