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Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries accused of running
‘well-oiled machine’ where he paid ‘recruiters’ $1,000
to lure young men to events for sex
By Shannon Thaler
Published Oct. 3, 2023, 10:13 a.m. ET
Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries is facing allegations of sexual exploitation after eight men claimed in a bombshell BBC News investigation that he headed an elaborate scheme to recruit them for sex events.
Over the course of its two-year probe, BBC spoke to eight men who alleged that they were exploited or abused after being lured to events at Jeffries’ upscale New York residence or luxury hotels in the world’s fashion capitals.
The BBC described the exploitative regime as a “well-oiled machine” where “recruiters” were allegedly tasked with bringing young men to Jeffries’ events in London, Paris, Venice and Marrakesh and would receive as much as $1,000 per referral.
A personal “groomer” then allegedly shaved the body hair off some of the men before they attended the events, according to BBC.
Men were then required to sign non-disclosure agreements that said they would be sued if they spoke out. They were not allowed to keep a copy of the legal document.
The young men alleged they were recruited to the sex events by a middleman who reported to Jeffries and his British lover, Matthew Smith, with half claiming they were misled about the nature of these events.
Other alleged victims knew the events were sexual but were unsure what was expected of them, though all were paid to attend and hopeful that by doing so, they would land a modeling opportunity with Abercrombie & Fitch, according to BBC.
Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries (right) allegedly tapped recruiters to lure young men aspiring to be A&F models to his residence to perform sex acts.
Michael Loccisano
This middleman — whom the BBC identified as Jim Jacobson — was described by modeling agents as the gatekeeper to “the owners” of A&F during the teen retailer’s heyday in the late ’90s and early 2000s.
Jeffries allegedly headed the abusive regime with his British lover Matthew Smith (left) between 1992 and 2014.
AFP via Getty Images
The alleged abuse took place between 1992 and 2014, when Jeffries abruptly resigned after 22 years at the helm following consistent sales declines and controversy — which Jeffries seemingly invited when he openly favored what he called “cool, good-looking people” at A&F while shunning “fat people.”
Jeffries reportedly walked away from the company — which has since ditched the shirtless male models who greeted customers outside stores — with at least $27 million in cash and retirement benefits.
David Bradberry was one of Jeffries and Smith’s alleged victims, who claims he was introduced to the A&F boss by Jacobson back in 2010, when he was 23, according to BBC.
Bradberry told the outlet that when he met Jacobson, he suggested A&F’s official photographer, Bruce Weber, take his photo.
Jacobson would often have Weber take photos of the young men he would then introduce to Jeffries, according to BBC, and then would have the men attend a “test run.”
Representatives for Weber did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
“Jim made it clear to me that unless I let him perform oral sex on me, that I would not be meeting with A&F or Mike Jeffries,” Bradberry told BBC.
“I was paralyzed. It was like he was selling fame. And the price was compliance,” he said, noting that Jacobson led him to believe “this is where everybody gets their start.”
Bradberry was given $500 for his time that day, according to BBC.
David Bradberry was one of Jeffries and Smith’s alleged victims after he was introduced to the couple in 2010, when he was 23.
BBC
Now in his 30s, Bradberry said he should have considered the meeting “a red flag,” but he thought Jacobson “was just a creepy old dude that I wouldn’t have to see again.”
Aspiring male models would often have their photo taken by A&F’s official photographer, Bruce Weber (at right, with Jeffries).
FilmMagic for Paul Wilmot Communications
However, Bradberry had another run-in with Jacobson after accepting an invitation to a daytime event at Jeffries’ former Hamptons home, which recently sold for $29 million, when the so-called middleman gave him A&F gift cards to buy an outfit.
Bradberry told the BBC that made the event feel “legitimate” and “official,” and felt Jeffries was a “powerful man” who could “make his career.”
After speaking with Jeffries and Smith at their mansion about his aspirations to be an A&F model, Jeffries took drug inhalants known as “poppers” and later had sex with Bradberry, according to BBC.
Bradberry alleged 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 and would hand alleged victims envelopes with thousands of dollars of cash before they left, per the BBC.
Barrett Paul told BBC that when he was 22, he was recruited to meet Jeffries and Smith. At the time, he was told to have “some sort of sexual experience with the couple” in order to advance his modeling career.
BBC
Barrett Pall told BBC he was recruited into Jeffries and Smith’s orbit in 2011, when he was 22, and was told by a recruiter that he would be a “replacement” for “some sort of sexual experience with the couple.”
He said he felt he had no choice because the recruiter — an older A&F model — had been helping him financially and he felt indebted to him, Pall told BBC.
The recruiter suggested that “the further you go, the better,” Pall told the outlet, and alluded to career opportunities.
“This experience, I think it broke me,” Pall said, recalling having to kiss Jeffries, who also groped him as a chaperone sat and watched.
Jeffries’ attorney, Brian Bieber, told The Post: “Michael is 79 years old and retired. In years past, he has chosen not to comment on media reports, documentaries and stories of any kind as they relate to his personal life — and does not plan on doing so now.”
The Post has also sought comment from Smith, 60.
A spokesperson for A&F told The Post: “We are appalled and disgusted by the behavior described in the allegations against Mr. Jeffries, whose employment with Abercrombie & Fitch Co. ended in 2014, nearly ten years ago. Speaking up and coming forward is not easy, and our thoughts are with those who bravely raised their voices.”
The spokesperson said the company has also “engaged an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the issues raised. The company’s current executive leadership team and board of directors were not aware of the allegations of sexual misconduct by Mr. Jeffries.”
Jeffries openly favored what he called “cool, good-looking people” at A&F while shunning “fat people,” employing fit young men to greet customers outside of A&F’s trendy stores. A&F has since done away with the practice.
AFP via Getty Images
“We have zero tolerance for abuse, harassment or discrimination of any kind.”
Two former US prosecutors who reviewed the BBC’s investigation have called for an investigation to determine whether sex-trafficking charges should be brought, according to the news site.
Under US law, sex trafficking involves getting an adult to travel to another state or country to have sex for money by using force, fraud or coercion.
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British actor Julia Ormond sues Harvey Weinstein saying
he sexually assaulted her
Ormond named CAA, Miramax and Disney as enablers in lawsuit filed
in New York state Supreme Court
The Associated Press · Posted: Oct 04, 2023 12:43 PM PDT | Last Updated: October 4
Julia Ormond arrives at an NBCUniversal Television Critics Association event in August 2016 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Ormond filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in 1995 and then hindering her career. (Rich Fury/Invision/AP)
Julia Ormond, who starred in films alongside the likes of Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford in the 1990s, filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in 1995 and then hindering her career.
Ormond, who also accuses the Walt Disney Company, Miramax and her former agents of knowing that Weinstein was a problem but doing nothing about it, filed the case in state Supreme Court in Manhattan under the Adult Survivors Act, a law passed last year that allows a temporary window for those who allege sexual assault to file past the state's normal deadlines.
In her suit, Ormond says she was a star on the rise when she met Weinstein in 1994. She says she kept in touch with him to discuss scripts and projects, and in 1995 entered into a production agreement with Miramax, where he was co-chairman.
She accuses him of committing sexual battery against her in December 1995 after a business meeting, and then retaliating against her and negatively affecting her career after she confronted him weeks later.
This is easy enough to believe. Ormond was irresistably captivating in Sabrina and Legends of the Fall. She should have been on top of the world but never reached her full potential.
Actor says CAA, Disney, Miramax enabled Weinstein
The British actor says she told her U.S. agents at the time, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), but received no support and was advised not to take any legal action or other steps.
She accuses CAA, Disney and Miramax of knowing that Weinstein presented a danger to women but doing nothing to stop him or to help her.
Ormond's film credits include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, My Week With Marilyn and Sabrina. She was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2012 for guest starring on the AMC TV series Mad Men.
Weinstein, 71, was convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York in 2020 and is currently in prison there. Last year, he also was convicted of another rape in Los Angeles. He has appealed both convictions.
Weinstein lawyer Imran Ansari said his client "categorically denies the allegations made against him by Julia Ormond and he is prepared to vehemently defend himself."
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Former Toronto Mayor Tory's affair with staffer, World Cup votes
violated city's ethics rules, watchdog says
John Tory violated two articles of the city's code of conduct as mayor,
integrity commissioner finds
CBC News · Posted: Oct 05, 2023 7:14 AM PDT |
Former Toronto mayor John Tory resigned in February, just months into his third term. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Former mayor John Tory's extramarital affair with a staffer in his office and two votes related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup violated Toronto's code of conduct for council members, the city's integrity commissioner said Thursday.
In a report posted online, Jonathan Batty concluded that during the three-year, on-and-off again affair Tory failed to "observe the terms" of the city's human resources policies and rules for relationships between city council members and their staff.
Tory's personal relationship with the woman (referred to in the report as Ms. A to protect her privacy) began in the summer of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic ramped up and continued until January 2023, the report said. Initially hired in 2018, Ms. A left the mayor's office in spring 2021, going on to work first for the Scarborough Health Network Foundation and then Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE).
During his "lengthy and complex" inquiry, Batty found that the relationship was wholly consensual and that the pair shared a "strong emotional bond," with Tory also acting as the woman's professional mentor and confidant.
Batty said that despite the power imbalance, the circumstances of the relationship — revealed in part during interviews with both Tory and Ms. A — led him to conclude that Tory did not violate the city's human rights and anti-harassment/discrimination policy.
Tory's resignation in February after publicly admitting to the affair at a news conference made Ms. A a "lightning rod" for media attention, Batty wrote, with far-reaching consequences for her personal life.
"The trauma she was put through was clear," Batty said. Tory's sudden resignation also deeply impacted other staff in his office "because it cast a pall over them all," Batty said, "especially some female staff members who were suspected of being the unnamed person he had a relationship with."
World Cup votes under scrutiny
Meanwhile, Batty also found that Tory improperly used his influence as mayor when he voted yes in 2022 on two motions concerning Toronto's ultimately successful bid to be a host city for the next World Cup. The first vote, in April, saw a status report on the bid adopted by council, while the second, in July, gave the city manager approval to negotiate an exclusive contract with MLSE to provide some hosting services for the event.
At the time, Ms. A was working part-time at MLSE on the team handling the company's World Cup work.
"Within a few weeks of that vote, MLSE offered Ms. A a permanent position. Ms. A's value to MLSE improved once Council directed MLSE could be awarded an exclusive contract for event services, given Ms. A's government relations and related operational expertise," Batty wrote.
Batty concluded that Tory's votes were "not consistent with the principle of a Member of Council needing to perform their duties and arrange their private affairs in a manner that promotes public confidence and bears close public scrutiny." Further, they were "not consistent with the principles of a Member of Council needing to avoid real and apparent conflicts of interest and the improper use of their office for the private gain of someone close to them."
Batty also looked into various other elements of Tory's relationship with Ms. A and whether he used his position of power to advance her career. Batty concluded that there was no evidence to suggest Tory was involved in her promotion within the mayor's office, nor was there evidence that he used his influence to help Ms. A get hired at either the Scarborough Health Network Foundation or MLSE.
Batty similarly concluded that Ms. A's inclusion in official travel with Tory was appropriate given her role within the mayor's office and the timeline of the trips.
"Any official trips Ms. A attended were staffed and conducted professionally and her personal relationship with Mr. Tory began after all official trips had ceased because of pandemic travel restrictions," he wrote.
Tory accepts findings
Because he no longer sits on council, Batty did not recommend any penalty for Tory "as it would serve no purpose."
Tory officially resigned in February just months into his third term as mayor after publicly admitting to the affair. Batty noted in his report that Tory "self-reported" the relationship and requested the Integrity Commissioner's office investigate.
Tory responded to the release in a report issued via a law firm.
"I fully accept the Integrity Commissioner's findings that I could and should have handled this matter differently," he said.
"I sincerely regret the impact my actions had on so many people in my life and on the people of the City of Toronto who it was my honour to serve for so many years."
Tory went on to thank Batty and his office for "their professionalism and thoughtfulness throughout this process."
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