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Jeffries hit with 16 criminal charges

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Dozens claim to be victims

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Jeffries led Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014

(Adds expected plea, Abercrombie statement, dateline, byline)

By Siddharth Cavale

CENTRAL ISLIP, New York, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Mike

Jeffries, the former longtime chief executive of Abercrombie &

Fitch ( ANF ), will plead not guilty to charges he ran an

international sex trafficking scheme while leading the clothing

retailer, his lawyer said on Friday.

Jeffries, 80, who led Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014, is

expected to enter his plea to one count of sex trafficking and

15 counts of prostitution in an afternoon arraignment before a

federal judge in Central Islip, New York, in that state's

Suffolk County.

Brian Bieber, the lawyer for Jeffries, said in an interview

that his client will plead not guilty to all counts he faces.

James Jacobson, an employee of Jeffries, is also

expected to enter a plea. Jeffries' partner Matthew Smith, a

dual U.S.-British citizen, was ordered detained and will plead

later. Both face the same charges as Jeffries.

Prosecutors said the alleged scheme ran from 2008 to 2015.

They said Jacobson acted as a recruiter, paid men to have

sex with him then chose who would be paid to travel to

Manhattan, the Hamptons and several countries around the world

to have sex with Jeffries and Smith.

Victims were led to believe that their efforts could lead to

modeling jobs, but the scheme's true purpose was to fulfill

Jeffries' and Smith's sexual desires without tarnishing

Jeffries' reputation, prosecutors said.

According to the indictment, victims were forced to consume

alcohol, Viagra and muscle relaxants; use sex toys; and perform

sex acts against their will. They were also required to sign

nondisclosure agreements, the indictment said.

Dozens of men were victims, including 15 identified in the

indictment, prosecutors said.

Each defendant faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted

of sex trafficking and up to 20 years in prison if convicted of

interstate prostitution.

The charges echo accusations in a 2023 BBC investigation and

private litigation on behalf of Jeffries' accusers.

Abercrombie has also been sued, but has denied knowing about

Jeffries' alleged misconduct. The New Albany, Ohio-based company

was not charged in the criminal case.

Jeffries built Abercrombie into a popular clothing brand

focused on teen shoppers, using splashy, sexually charged

marketing that included ads with semi-nude models.

He resigned amid falling sales and criticism he was losing

his touch in keeping up with customers' changing tastes.

In an online post, Abercrombie said it was "appalled and

disgusted" by the accusations against Jeffries, and that it has

since his departure "transformed our brands and culture into the

values-driven organization we are today."