Abercrombie & Fitch: How my investigation led to sex trafficking charges against ex-boss

In a federal courtroom in New York, for the first time I’m face to face with Mike Jeffries – the multi-millionaire ex-fashion boss I’ve spent three years investigating for the BBC. He stares at me directly, lips pursed, and chin raised, as he sits before the judge.

As a result of my reporting, he was arrested this week by the FBI and charged with running an international sex trafficking and prostitution business along with his British partner, Matthew Smith, and their middleman James Jacobson.

Authorities acted after hearing my podcast series, The Abercrombie Guys, in which I unearthed evidence that Mr Jeffries, 80, and Mr Smith, 61, had been at the centre of a sophisticated global operation involving a network of recruiters and a middleman scouting young men for sex.

As CEO of teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries was described to me as an eccentric and superstitious genius who, with his highlighted hair and penchant for flip-flops and plastic surgery, personified the youthful All-American brand he created.

But now, his hair white, his fillers dissolved, and wearing an ankle monitor – he seemed a shadow of the mogul said to have used his power and strength while in charge to abuse vulnerable models.

US prosecutors say he and the others accused used force, fraud and coercion to make men engage in violent and exploitative sex acts from at least 2008-2015. If convicted, they face a maximum of life in prison.

Shoulders slouched, Mr Jeffries’ face was blank as his lawyer entered his plea of not guilty. His life partner Matthew Smith – a UK citizen – is yet to appear in court. He’s considered a flight risk by authorities and is currently detained until trial.

Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual acts

When I think back to how my own investigation began, in January 2021, I never imagined it would lead to this moment.

During the pandemic, I was researching the fashion industry when I stumbled across a cryptic Instagram comment written by a former model named Barrett Pall.

He was part of a group discussing how they felt abuse against male models was being ignored. “We’ve seen it happen with #MeToo, how about #UsToo?” one wrote.

We soon got on the phone. After an hour of talking, he said he felt he could trust with me a secret he’d never really shared before.

“It’s probably like the darkest experience I’ve ever dealt with,” he told me. “They had someone come and shave me, like my whole body, because that’s how they like the boys.”

In 2011, then aged 22, Barrett said he’d been referred by an older model, who was a close friend, to meet a mysterious middleman he described as having a missing nose covered with a snakeskin patch.

He said this man – who I later identified through phone and property records as James Jacobson – had made him perform a sex act as a “tryout” before sending him to Mike Jeffries, then CEO and chairman of Abercrombie & Fitch, and his British partner.

Barrett claimed that, for years, the duo had been throwing elaborate sex events at their palatial home in the Hamptons. He said the one he had attended was facilitated by chaperones in Abercrombie polos and flip-flops, carrying silver platters of alcohol, poppers and lube.

What Barrett told me sparked my initial two-year investigation. I travelled across America, from the suburbs of Ohio to the desert of Palm Springs, tracking down men affected and confronting those involved – including the middleman himself.

Usually when I’m investigating, I can find a few loose threads to pull at by searching newspaper archives, court records or social media. But there was absolutely nothing in the public domain about these allegations.

So I took an old-school approach, piecing together my own trail through word of mouth, knocking on doors, and sending handwritten letters to potential sources. I traced and contacted hundreds of people including former Abercrombie & Fitch models and Mr Jeffries’ ex-household staff, earning trust over months.

Then, a massive breakthrough.

Barrett Pall had an old iPad that wouldn’t turn on – but we got it fixed. Through that, I obtained an itinerary and flight ticket corroborating the event he attended in the Hamptons. It was sent by the middleman James Jacobson and contained some first names and numbers of others involved.

I later recovered more than a dozen of these itineraries from different sources, finally giving me concrete leads. But it took me months to figure out their roles, not wanting to tip the wrong person off while I was still in evidence-gathering mode.

Many men were wary of speaking. Two accused me of being a “spy” for Mike Jeffries – initially fearful of his “money and clout”. I, too, became increasingly paranoid after I began facing hundreds of hacking attempts each day from unknown IP addresses.

We were right to be cautious. In their indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, prosecutors said Mike Jeffries had employed a full-service security company to oversee non-disclosure agreements (NDA), conduct background checks, and surveil and intimidate anyone who threatened to expose them.

I have since spoken with more than 20 men who attended or helped organise these events for Mr Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith. Some like Luke, an aspiring model who told me he was recruited under the guise of attending an A&F photoshoot, said they had been misled and not told sex was involved.

How did this operation stay hidden for so long?

The answer I reached was that the shame some men felt talking about same-sex abuse had silenced them as effectively as any NDA. Some told me they had felt suicidal, others completely broken. In many instances, I was the first person they had confided in.

One man, who I’m calling Alex, broke down as he told me he believed he was drugged and raped by an unknown assailant at an opulent event hosted in Marrakesh for which dozens of men had been flown in.

He believed this led to him contracting HIV. “Jeffries was the kingpin,” he told me at the time. “Without him none of this could have happened.”

Ahead of publication, I worked with BBC Panorama to meticulously fact-check my evidence. This involved speaking with those inside the operation – including James Jacobson.

When podcast producer Ruth Evans and I knocked on his door one sweltering day in rural Wisconsin in August 2023, he sank onto his steps, put his head in his hands and swore. He asked me for a deal. “Leave my name out and I’ll tell you everything,” he said.

Mr Jacobson repeated this request dozens of times the following day, when he agreed to meet for coffee. We spoke for two hours.

At times it was bizarre – he admired my shorthand, commented on my British accent and seemed to patronise me – calling me “sweetheart”. He’s a former actor and at one point put on a bunch of accents, and pretended to wear a cloak, trying to convince me he could do an anonymous interview.

But he was charismatic too, and joked about his missing nose, saying the only job he could get these days was as a Bond villain. Eventually, Mr Jacobson said he was just “doing his job” and hadn’t spoken to Jeffries or Smith since 2015.

Ultimately, he didn’t get his deal, and in court, he again sat with his head in his hands as his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty.

After we published in October 2023, some of the men in this story took legal action against Mike Jeffries, Matthew Smith and Abercrombie & Fitch, who they are suing for rape, assault and sex trafficking. All deny wrongdoing. The lawsuit claims it’s likely that more than 100 men were abused during Jeffries’ tenure.

Sources also began contacting me to say they had been approached by law enforcement.

We were not involved in the FBI’s investigation – which was totally independent of mine. Protecting sources is integral to my work. So, it would be the men’s decision to talk.

Looking back, there were moments I considered giving up. I initially faced dead end after dead end. But the more I heard, the more I felt a duty to bring this to light for the first time and hold those involved to account.

More than two years on from our first conversation, I asked Barrett Pall why he decided to speak to me.

He started crying and said: “My gut said trust her. Tell her your story. And maybe, just maybe, someone will listen.”

Announcing the charges, US attorney Breon Peace said: “To anyone who thinks they can exploit and coerce others by using the so-called ‘casting couch’ system, this case should serve as a warning. Prepare to trade that couch for a bed in federal prison.”