Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO and accused serial sexual predator Mike Jeffries was arrested Tuesday as part of a sex-trafficking investigation.
The 80-year-old disgraced fashion-giant boss — whose twisted antics allegedly led to more than 100 men being abused — was nabbed in West Palm Beach, Fla.
His “romantic partner,” Matthew Smith, 61, as well as a business associate, James Jacobson, 71 — previously described by accusers as a middleman who is missing his nose and covers the spot with a snakeskin patch, according to the BBC — were also arrested in the case, authorities and sources told The Post.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn were set to hold a news conference later Tuesday to announce the charges in the sex-trafficking and interstate prostitution case – including involving a “former CEO of a major company.”
The arrests come roughly a year after the FBI started probing claims Jeffries allegedly orchestrated elaborate sex events to exploit and sexually abuse young male models during his 22-year tenure at the brand.
The claims first surfaced as part of an explosive BBC News report last year in which 12 men alleged they were lured to events at Jeffries’ upscale New York residence or luxury hotels in the world’s fashion capitals between 2009 to 2015.
In the wake of the BBC report, a class-action civil suit was filed in New York last year alleging that more than 100 men had been abused and that the fashion juggernaut turned a blind eye to Jeffries’ alleged misconduct.
David Bradberry, the lead plaintiff in the case and one of the dozen men who spoke to the BBC, alleged he felt pressured into having sex with Jeffries at one of his parties in his Hamptons mansion.
Bradberry, then 23 and an aspiring model, told the outlet that he “didn’t feel safe to say ‘no’ or ‘I don’t feel comfortable with this’” because of the home’s “secluded” location and presence of Jeffries’ staff — who all dressed in a uniform of head-to-toe A&F.
“I’m grateful to my lawyers for believing in me and for the steadfast resolve of law enforcement,” Bradberry said in a statement Tueday. “I look forward to cooperating in the process to ensure those who harmed me and others are held accountable for what they did.“
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The suit, filed in October last year, also alleged Jefferies had modeling scouts scouring the Internet for prey — and that some prospective models vying to become the next face of Abercrombie ended up sex-trafficking victims.
“Jeffries was so important to the profitability of the brand that he was given complete autonomy to perform his role as CEO however he saw fit, including through the use of blatant international sex-trafficking and abuse of prospective Abercrombie models,” the suit alleged.
Jeffries, who left Abercrombie in 2014, denied the allegations at the time.
His lawyer, Brian Bieber, said in a statement to The Post on Tuesday, “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.”
Jacobson’s lawyer, Jeremy Schneider, declined to comment. A lawyer for Smith did not immediately respond to a Post request for comment.
Abercrombie & Fitch said at the time that the company was “appalled and disgusted” by the claims, adding it had hired an outside law firm to conduct a review.
In the wake of the arrests, lawyers representing the plaintiffs, Brad Edwards and Brittany Henderson, said in a statement Tuesday, “Our firm represents all of the victims in the class action case we filed on their behalf.
“All four of the defendants, including Abercrombie and Fitch, have tried everything possible to delay our lawsuit from proceeding, presumably because they knew it would lead to criminal arrests. Despite their efforts, the arrests happened anyway, and we are looking forward to cooperating with law enforcement to make sure that the criminal and civil justice systems are successful in this prosecution.”
Jeffries was largely credited for the brand’s boost in popularity among teens in the early nineties with its slew of advertising campaigns featuring bare-chested young male and female models.
The brand became a darling of turn-of-the-millennium teen mall culture with its stores pumped full of cologne.
Additional reporting by Priscilla DeGregory and Ben Kochman
