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<\/p>\nThe former boss of Abercrombie & Fitch and his partner are facing allegations of exploitation surrounding a series of sex parties hosted by the pair. <\/p>\n
Models who were chasing their big break at the time claim to have been coerced into performing oral sex as an audition for A&F and were even shaved at parties by a hired 'groomer'. <\/p>\n
Young men were allegedly found and recruited for the events by Mike Jeffries, 79, and Brit Matthew Smith, 60, who are understood to have used middlemen. Now, an investigation by the BBC has reportedly seen allegations from eight men who claim they were abused and exploited by the pair.<\/p>\n
Mr Jeffries is credited with making Abercrombie and Fitch appeal to teenagers with a marketing campaign of sex appeal thanks to using scantily clad models. He left the company in 2014 after sales slipped, but company filings at the time suggest he walked away with a retirement package in the region of \u00a320.5million.<\/p>\n
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Jeffries' 'middleman', James Jacobson is understood to have denied allegations of recruiting male models for the company by inviting them to sex parties. Instead he claimed the models attended them "with their eyes wide open". According to the BBC, Abercrombie & Fitch said it is \u201cappalled and disgusted\u201d by the alleged behaviour.<\/p>\n
The allegations, obtained by the BBC, claim that the young adult men were exploited at sex parties at the residences of Jeffries at his properties in New York, as well as in upmarket hotels in London, Paris, Venice, and Marrakesh. The claims come as part of a two-year investigation that spoke to 12 men who allege they were recruited for events that included sex acts between 2009 and 2015.<\/p>\n
Half of the men spoken to are understood to have claimed they were misled about what the events would involve. Some said they did not know they would involve sex, others that they knew it would be sexual but not exactly what it would involve.<\/p>\n
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All the men were allegedly paid, as were a network of \u201crecruiters\u201d who are said to have been given between $500 (\u00a3413) and $1000 (\u00a3827) per referral made to Jacobson.<\/p>\n
Many of the men claimed that Jacobson would proposition them for sex as a means to meet Mr Jeffries. All of the men were allegedly made to sign non-disclosure agreements and some claimed they were shaved by a groomer in a process they described as \u201cdehumanising\u201d. One witness has claimed he suspects he may have been spiked and raped.<\/p>\n
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Meanwhile, some accounts claim they were supervised by the personal staff of Mr Jeffries, who all wore Abercrombie & Fitch uniforms, and would even be there to witness the sex acts. Claims have been made that Mr Jeffries funded the events himself.<\/p>\n
Mr Jacobson said in a statement released through his lawyer that he took offence to claims there had been "any coercive, deceptive or forceful behaviour on my part," and said he didn\u2019t make promises of modelling opportunities.<\/p>\n
"Any encounter I had was fully consensual, not coercive," he said. "Everyone I came into contact with who attended these events went in with their eyes wide open."<\/p>\n
Calls have been made by two former US-based prosecutors for an investigation to determine whether or not charges of sex trafficking could be brought. The former prosecutors are understood to have each reviewed documents obtained by the BBC.<\/p>\n
The BBC made repeated attempts to contact Jeffries and his partner. They did not respond to requests for comment but the pair's middleman denied any wrongdoing. <\/p>\n
If you or somebody you know has been affected by this story, contact Victim Support for free, confidential advice on 08 08 16 89 111 or visit their website, www.victimsupport.org.uk.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n