The Michael Jeffries Abercrombie trafficking case is a federal prosecution in the Eastern District of New York charging the former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO, his partner Matthew Smith, and recruiter James Jacobson with running an international sex trafficking and interstate prostitution operation between 2008 and 2015. All three were arrested on October 22, 2024, all three have pleaded not guilty, and as of mid-2026 the case is held up by a dispute over whether Jeffries, who is 81, is mentally competent to stand trial. Jury selection is tentatively scheduled for October 26, 2026.
The Charges and What Prosecutors Allege
A federal grand jury returned a 16-count indictment, unsealed on October 22, 2024, charging Jeffries, Smith, and Jacobson with one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution.1U.S. Department of Justice. Former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch and Two Other Individuals Charged With Sex Trafficking and Interstate Prostitution Jeffries was taken into custody at his home in Florida and appeared in federal court in the Southern District of Florida that day.2NPR. Former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries Arrested in Federal Sex Trafficking Case
Prosecutors allege Jeffries and Smith financed and directed the enterprise, using Jeffries’ wealth and his position at the top of the clothing brand, while Jacobson acted as the recruiter who traveled across the United States and internationally to find and vet men for what the indictment calls “Sex Events.”1U.S. Department of Justice. Former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch and Two Other Individuals Charged With Sex Trafficking and Interstate Prostitution The sex trafficking count carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life. Each interstate prostitution count carries up to 20 years.3Cornell Law Institute. 18 U.S. Code § 1591 – Sex Trafficking of Children or by Force, Fraud, or Coercion
The indictment names 15 victims, but prosecutors have said the scheme “encompassed dozens and dozens of men” and that more may come forward.4BBC News. Former Abercrombie Boss Mike Jeffries Charged With Sex Trafficking
How the Alleged Scheme Operated
According to prosecutors, the operation targeted financially vulnerable young men, including aspiring models and former Abercrombie store employees, some as young as 19. Recruiters allegedly dangled the possibility of modeling work for Abercrombie or other career opportunities without telling candidates what the events actually involved.1U.S. Department of Justice. Former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch and Two Other Individuals Charged With Sex Trafficking and Interstate Prostitution
Jacobson allegedly conducted “tryouts” that required candidates to perform sex acts with him before being sent to Jeffries and Smith. Those who passed were flown to Jeffries’ residences in New York City and the Hamptons and to hotels in England, France, Italy, Morocco, and Saint Barthélémy.4BBC News. Former Abercrombie Boss Mike Jeffries Charged With Sex Trafficking On arrival, the indictment alleges, men were required to surrender their phones, wallets, and clothing, which were stored in inaccessible locations, and to sign non-disclosure agreements. Prosecutors say men were pressured to consume alcohol, Viagra, and muscle relaxants, and that Jeffries and Smith directed others to inject men with erection-inducing substances when they were unwilling or unable to perform.1U.S. Department of Justice. Former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch and Two Other Individuals Charged With Sex Trafficking and Interstate Prostitution
Prosecutors say the operation ran on a network of employees, contractors, and a security company that conducted background checks, enforced the NDAs, and surveilled potential witnesses to prevent anyone from going to authorities. Jeffries and Smith allegedly spent “millions of dollars” maintaining that infrastructure.2NPR. Former Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries Arrested in Federal Sex Trafficking Case
Bail and Pleas
All three defendants have pleaded not guilty, with Jacobson entering his plea on October 25, 2024.5Courthouse News Service. Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Trafficking Charges None of the three has entered a cooperation agreement.
Jeffries was released on a $10 million bond secured by a property he co-owns on Fisher’s Island, New York, and placed under GPS monitoring and home confinement at his Palm Beach, Florida apartment.6WPBF. Former Abercrombie CEO Michael Jeffries Released on $10 Million Bond7Newsday. Abercrombie & Fitch Co-Defendant Matthew Smith Released on Bail8WSLS. Former Abercrombie CEO’s Partner Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Trafficking Charges, Is Freed on Bond
Where the Case Stands Now
The case has been slowed by a fight over whether Jeffries is mentally competent to stand trial. In May 2025, a judge ruled him unfit after medical evaluations determined he met the criteria for Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body disease and showed characteristics of a traumatic brain injury.9The New York Times. Michael Jeffries Abercrombie Trial Dementia He was ordered to the Federal Medical Center Butner in North Carolina for up to four months of treatment and evaluation to determine whether his competency could be restored.10BBC News. Mike Jeffries Found Fit to Stand Trial After Dementia Ruling
In December 2025, prison officials declared Jeffries had been “restored” to competency, concluding he was “able to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him and to assist properly in his own defense.” Acting warden Blake Lott submitted a certificate of restoration to the court, and Jeffries was released from Butner in late November 2025.10BBC News. Mike Jeffries Found Fit to Stand Trial After Dementia Ruling
The defense disputes that finding, and the dispute is complicated by more than 100 recorded phone calls, over 22 hours of audio, captured while Jeffries was at Butner. In calls to Smith, Jeffries said they were “screwed” and in “big trouble” if he were found fit for trial. He was recorded telling a doctor, “you better find me incompetent,” calling a fit finding a “disaster,” and saying in another call, “that’s why we got to pull this off.”11BBC News. Mike Jeffries Prison Recordings Competency Hearing Prosecutors cite the recordings as evidence of cognitive capability, pointing to Jeffries’ ability to discuss business history, books, and television at length. Defense experts countered that the same recordings reflect “disinhibited behavior,” a hallmark of dementia, and an inability to grasp legal boundaries.12Business Insider. Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Prison Call – Doctors Better Find Me Incompetent
A four-day competency hearing took place in late March 2026, with six expert witnesses cross-examined. Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury was expected to decide by May 2026 whether Jeffries is fit to proceed. Jury selection remains scheduled for October 26, 2026, contingent on that ruling.11BBC News. Mike Jeffries Prison Recordings Competency Hearing
Civil Suits and Abercrombie’s Role
More than 40 men have brought civil claims against Jeffries, Smith, Jacobson, and Abercrombie & Fitch, represented by attorneys Brad Edwards and Brittany Henderson, alleging sexual assault, drugging, or rape. Those civil suits are stayed pending resolution of the criminal case to protect the defendants’ rights against self-incrimination.13BBC News. Mike Jeffries Civil Lawsuits Status The company separately faces negligence claims alleging it knowingly facilitated the abuse.
In March 2025, Judge Paul Fioravanti ruled that Abercrombie must cover Jeffries’ criminal defense costs under an indemnification agreement signed when he resigned as CEO in December 2014. The judge found that while the charges were “horrific,” they maintained a “causal connection to his official capacity and status as CEO.” The agreement, which legal experts called unusual for its explicit coverage of criminal proceedings, requires the company to reimburse Jeffries for legal fees dating back to 2023 and to advance funds for his ongoing defense.14BBC News. Abercrombie Must Pay Mike Jeffries’ Criminal Defense Costs
Abercrombie & Fitch has said it is “appalled and disgusted” by the allegations and is cooperating with law enforcement, emphasizing that Jeffries’ employment ended nearly a decade ago and that its current leadership represents a different culture.15CNBC. Abercrombie Responds to CEO Mike Jeffries Sex Trafficking Arrest
How the Allegations Surfaced
The federal case grew out of a two-year investigation by BBC reporter Rianna Croxford, published in October 2023 as a BBC News and BBC Panorama investigation and a podcast series, World of Secrets: The Abercrombie Guys, that debuted on October 1, 2023.16BBC Sounds. World of Secrets: The Abercrombie Guys
The reporting began in January 2021 after Croxford saw an Instagram comment by Barrett Pall, a former model and activist, who alleged that in 2011, at age 22, he had been recruited by an older model and referred to Jacobson for a “tryout” that involved a coerced sex act, then flown to a sex event at Jeffries’ Hamptons home. Pall described it as “the darkest experience I’ve ever dealt with” and gave Croxford an old iPad holding an itinerary and flight ticket sent by Jacobson.17BBC News. How the BBC Investigated the Abercrombie Guys Croxford ultimately interviewed more than 20 men who had attended or organized the events, documenting the recruitment network, referral fees paid by Jacobson, mandatory NDAs, personal staff in Abercrombie uniforms at events, and cash payments to participants.18BBC News. The Abercrombie Guys: The Dark Side of Cool Two former federal prosecutors who reviewed the BBC’s evidence said the findings warranted a trafficking investigation, and federal authorities opened the probe that led to the 2024 indictment.