The ex-CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch was arrested in South Florida on Tuesday morning and faces sex trafficking-related charges brought by federal prosecutors in New York, NBC News reported. This comes one year after former A&F CEO Mike Jeffries was accused of running a giant sex-trafficking ring that exploited young men who wanted to become models for the brand. 

NBC said Jeffries’ associates, Matthew Smith of West Palm Beach, Florida, and James Jacobson of Wisconsin, were also charged in connection with the sex trafficking case. This news comes hours before federal prosecutors in Brooklyn plan to hold a press conference to announce the arrests of a “former CEO of a major company” and two others in a “sex trafficking and interstate prostitution case.”

In October 2023, A&F and the former CEO were sued. Court documents at the time depicted a horror story wherein Jeffries, the once-celebrated architect of the brand’s provocative image, was accused of masterminding the despicable sex trafficking operation. 

A BBC investigation in the fall of 2023 also revealed systematic abuse involving Jeffries’ partner Matthew Smith, and associate James Jacobson, under the pretense of offering modeling gigs. 

The BBC’s two-year investigation involved 12 witnesses. It showed a systematic operation spanning from the 1990s through 2015, where Jeffries, aided by Smith and James Jacobson, allegedly lured young men into an abusive quagmire. The promise of lucrative modeling contracts with A&F baited the trap, often leading to coercive sexual encounters at various luxury locations worldwide, from New York to Marrakesh.

Attorney Brittany Henderson of Edwards Henderson, the law firm representing the plaintiff in the case, stated to CNBC: 

“Today’s arrests are monumental for the aspiring male models who were victimized by these individuals.”

“Their fight for justice does not end here. We look forward to holding Abercrombie and Fitch liable for facilitating this terrible conduct and ensuring that this cannot happen again.” 

There’s no word if Jeffries or associates had any connections with Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was arrested in New York last month and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. 

Separately, in recent years, Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking scheme of minors to politically connected and financially powerful people was unveiled for the world to see; but again, there is no apparent link between Jeffries and Epstein either… for now.