Ex-Abercrombie CEO Released on Bail After Arrest on Sex Trafficking Allegations

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Oct 23, 2024

Above: An Abercrombie & Fitch store in the Soho neighborhood of New York, US, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. Image copyright: Yuki Iwamura/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Imagesstory last updated Oct 24

The Facts

Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, his partner Matthew Smith, and James Jacobson — an alleged middleman for the pair — were all arrested in the US and charged on federal offenses of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution on Tuesday.
In an indictment against the three, federal prosecutors accused them of employing "coercive, fraudulent and deceptive tactics" connected to the "recruitment, hiring, transportation, obtaining, maintaining, solicitation and payment" of young men for commercial sex between 2008–2015.

The Spin

Narrative A

For too long, the powerful have preyed on vulnerable people by abusing them in exchange for the prospect of career advancement. Evidently, this pattern of exploitation was present at Abercrombie & Fitch. This indictment shows that these types of vile actions will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Narrative B

While the horrific nature of the charges brought against the ex-Abercrombie CEO are undeniable, there is little evidence that the business has been in any way affected. Jeffries left the company in 2014, and since then Abercrombie has been incredibly successful in defending their brand image irrespective of the dark content of these legal proceedings.