“I tried to say no several times.” In early October 2023, the BBC unveiled a shocking investigation into the former CEO of the clothing brand Abercrombie & Fitch between 1992 and 2014, Mike Jeffries, accused of exploiting men for sexual purposes.
In this investigation, which lasted two years, the British media outlet revealed the testimonies of eight men, over a period from 2009 to 2015. They claimed to have been forced to participate in paid events, which turned out to involve sexual acts.
“I kept saying no”
This Saturday, September 14, the BBC revealed new damning testimonies against the former CEO and his partner, Matthew Smith. Now, twenty men have spoken out to denounce the actions of the two men, claiming to have participated or helped organize these events.
Among these many testimonies, one of them, aged 20 at the time, recounted events dating back to 2011. At the time, Luke was contacted by a modeling site by a man presenting himself as Mike Jeffries’ executive assistant to shoot an advertisement. The young man was then taken to a hotel in Spain in “a movie set of an Abercrombie store”.
In the room, “erotic photos of male abs adorned the dark walls” around a group of people posing as employees of the brand’s stores. Luke was encouraged to role-play, going shirtless to pretend to be a host. “I have two very important guests now, and these are the clients you need to impress and entertain because they are going to buy a lot of clothes from you,” the executive assistant allegedly told him.
In reality, the “two very important guests” were none other than Mike Jeffries and Matthew Smith. According to Luke’s testimony, the two men began touching him, and the former CEO forcibly kissed him. “I was trying to avoid the situation as much as possible, but Michael was very aggressive,” Luke told the BBC, adding that Mike Jeffries forced him to perform oral sex.
“I tried to say no a few times. And then I let myself be convinced to do something. But I kept saying no, and I wanted to go.”
A well-established system
According to the BBC’s revelations, the two men had set up a well-oiled system involving recruiters to find men, paid small sums, for these events. Keith Milkie, 20 at the time, took part in several of these events between 2012 and 2014. In need of money, he explained to the BBC that he knew that sexual acts would be requested of him but that nothing could have “prepared him for what (happened)”.
“The embodiment of Mike Jeffries is Abercrombie… I mean, he was the embodiment of power. He projected his image across the country. The place where he lived was literally an Abercrombie store. Without that kind of power and fear and influence, I imagine it’s a lot harder to shut people up, and that’s why, years later, people are talking about it,” he explained.
After the first BBC investigation aired in 2023, the two men are investigated by the FBI on sex trafficking charges.
- BFMTV.com
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