Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries has pleaded not guilty to interstate sex trafficking and prostitution charges.
Attorneys entered the plea on behalf of Mr. Jeffries in New York federal court on Long Island as he sat next to them in court in a navy blue suit, his face expressionless.
Sitting one row behind Jeffries was his alleged middleman, James Jacobson, who was about to be charged after the former Abercrombie CEO.
Mr Jeffries’ British-American partner Matthew Smith, who faces similar charges, is expected to appear in a New York court at a later date.
Federal prosecutors said the men used force, fraud and coercion to commit “violent and exploitative” sex acts.
The FBI opened an investigation into the former A&F CEO last year after the BBC reported it investigation found several men who accused Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Smith of sexually abusing them at events they hosted at New York mansions and hotels around the world.
During Friday’s 10-minute court hearing on Long Island, New York Judge Steven Tiscione told Mr. Jeffries that he would be under house arrest, adding that he was only allowed to leave his home in New York. York and Florida for medical appointments and doctor visits. lawyers and religious events.
Mr Jeffries posted a $10m (£7.7m) bond using his home on Fisher Island in New York as collateral.
The hearing was attended by both Mr Jeffries’ son and wife, who had to agree to use their house as a deposit as she also owned the property.
The judge asked his wife, Susan, if she understood that their house could be foreclosed if Mr. Jeffries did not come to court.
She told the judge she understood.
The BBC investigation uncovered a complex operation involving a middleman, Mr Jacobson, and a network of recruiters tasked with finding men for these events.
Prosecutors announced indictments against the three men shortly after Mr. Jeffries and his associates were arrested in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday. Mr. Jacobson was arrested in Wisconsin.
Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Jacobson were released on bail. Mr. Smith was detained.
Prosecutors said Mr Jeffries and his associates preyed on “dozens” of vulnerable young men seeking careers in fashion and modeling, then exploited them for sexual gratification in period from 2008 to 2015.
The indictment lists 15 unnamed victims.
The three men could face life in prison if convicted of sex trafficking and up to 20 years in prison if convicted of interstate prostitution.
The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, alleged on Tuesday that Mr. Jeffries paid “large sums of money” to trafficked men to perform sex acts on him and his partners. his, while staff and security guarded the events.
Mr. Peace said the couple hired Mr. Jacobson to recruit men for the couple, taking them to his New York home and other locations, where they were forced to take alcohol, Viagra and muscle relaxants or injected with them against their will. their.
In its initial investigation, the BBC spoke to 12 men who described attending or organizing events involving sexual acts with Mr Jeffries, 80, and his British partner Mr Smith , 61 years old.
Eight men who attended the events said they were recruited by a middleman whom the BBC identified as James Jacobson.
Then more men arrived last month. Several people believed to be Mr. Jeffries’ assistants injected their penises with what they were told was liquid Viagra.
After the BBC’s initial investigation was announced last year, A&F announced it would launch an independent investigation into the allegations.
Mr. Jeffries served as the company’s CEO from 1992 to 2014, when he resigned due to declining sales and walked away with a retirement package worth about $25 million.
