Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries Under Investigation For Sexually Exploiting Men

The BBC aired an investigation into former Abercrombie & Fitch Co. CEO Mike Jeffries over allegations that Jeffries sexually exploited men around the world.

A report from BBC News detailed the accusations, claiming that Jeffries “found an organized network [and] used a middleman to recruit young adult men for the events with Mr. Jeffries and his partner Matthew Smith, with some alleging they were abused.”

Jeffries allegedly engaged in this behavior at his residences in New York, as well as at hotels in cities such as London, Paris and Venice.

“Half of the men who told the BBC about their recruitment alleged they had been initially misled about the nature of the events or not told sex was involved,” the report continued. “Others said they understood the events would be sexual, but not exactly what was expected of them. All were paid.”

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has spoken out against their former CEO, writing that they are “appalled and disgusted” by Jeffries’ alleged behavior.

According to a statement released by Fitch, the company has “engaged an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the issues raised.” They also noted that “the company’s current executive leadership team and board of directors were not aware of the allegations of sexual misconduct by Mr. Jeffries.”

Jeffries has been a controversial figure in the fashion world for years, known for his blunt takes on society and contentious remarks about his former company.

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“In every school, there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told Salon in 2016, attracting much backlash. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely.”