Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries has been arrested and charged with the trafficking of male models for sex parties around the world, US prosecutors said Tuesday.

Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and the pair's fixer James Jacobson allegedly used a "casting couch" ploy to groom aspiring male models to attend sex parties at which victims were plied with alcohol and drugs.

They were taken to Jeffries's and Smith's homes, as well as venues as far afield as Britain, France, Italy and Morocco for the events, at which some of the men were given Viagra and muscle relaxants, prosecutors said.

The charges are being led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

"The indictment alleges on more than one occasion when men did not or could not consent, Jeffries and Smith violated the bodily integrity of these men by subjecting them or continuing to subject them to invasive sexual and violent contact," US Attorney Breon Peace told a media briefing.

"They spent millions of dollars on a massive infrastructure to support this operation, and to maintain its secrecy," he added.

The trio, who are also charged with interstate prostitution, used "force, fraud and coercion to traffic those men for their own sexual gratification," Peace said.

"The defendants employed a referral system in an interview process that did not inform the men of the details of the sex events before they attended, including the full extent and nature of the sexual activity that would be required of the men at these events," the attorney said.

Jeffries, who led Abercrombie & Fitch from 1992 to 2014, was a pivotal figure in reshaping the brand into a youth-centric fashion powerhouse. However, his tenure was also marked by significant controversies, including accusations of promoting a toxic culture rooted in elitism and discriminatory hiring practices. The company's hiring methods, which prioritized a particular "look" among employees, were the subject of lawsuits, media backlash, and public criticism.

abercrombie & fitch store
Abercrombie & Fitch store Getty Images

A 2023 BBC investigation further shed light on troubling allegations against Jeffries and Smith. The report claimed that the two were part of a "highly organized network" that used a middleman to recruit young men to attend private sexual events. Eight individuals came forward in the investigation, stating that they had been exploited or subjected to abuse during these gatherings. At the time, attorneys for both Jeffries and Smith denied all allegations, dismissing them as unfounded.

"Today's arrests are monumental for the aspiring male models who were victimized by these individuals," said Brittany Henderson, a lawyer representing victims of the alleged crimes.

"Their fight for justice does not end here. We look forward to holding Abercrombie and Fitch liable for facilitating this terrible conduct and ensuring that this cannot happen again," she added in a statement to AFP.