Well, well, well, it seems the former kingpin of low-rise jeans and moose-logo hoodies, Mike Jeffries, just earned himself a spot on the front page—but not for a comeback collection. The ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO, along with his partner Matthew Smith and a fellow named James Jacobson, has been arrested on some jaw-dropping charges: “sex trafficking” and “interstate prostitution.” It’s giving “you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up” energy.
NBC News reports the trio got pinched for some seriously shady business, and by shady, we don’t mean neon-lit nightclubs with bottle service. Instead, the allegations read more like an episode of Law & Order: Designer Crimes Unit. According to the BBC, the accusations include… brace yourself… hosting events where men were allegedly abused—all while gallivanting between his New York home and swanky hotels worldwide. It’s like the plot of a Netflix documentary nobody asked for.
Now, Jeffries’ lawyer piped up with a classic legal sidestep:
> “We will respond in detail to the allegations after the Indictment is unsealed and when appropriate, but plan to do so in the courthouse—not the media.”
Translation: “No comments. Catch us on Court TV.”
For those in need of a refresher, Jeffries ran the Abercrombie show from 1992 to 2014. That’s the era responsible for dimly-lit stores that smelled like teenage cologne explosions and shirtless male greeters whose abs had their own PR team.
A press conference is set to happen later today, so stay tuned because things are bound to get even wilder. Maybe they’ll clarify if this was all some kind of horribly misguided Abercrombie Reunion Party… though we highly doubt it.
