The recent one BBC revelation about one organized circuit which they were sexually exploiting young men, starring A&F’s Jeffries, shocks. BBC Panorama released a dossier of allegations that a “highly organized network” used a middleman to find young men for 79-year-old businessman Jeffries and his 60-year-old partner, Matthew Smith. The British outlet spoke to eight men, some of whom claimed they were taken advantage of at events in the US, London, Paris, Venice, Marrakesh and the Caribbean.
“I was raped and contracted HIV”
One of these men claims he may have contracted HIV after being raped. He was in his early 20s when he went to an event in Marrakesh where there were up to 80 other men. “They gave us champagne to drink and a big jar of Viagra. I was shocked, I had never seen anything like this before” he said. He reportedly danced for Jeffries and Smith and claims the former CEO grabbed his head and forced him to kiss him. He felt uncomfortable and went to a back room and fell asleep. “I woke up and felt something was wrong. I felt like someone had put a rape drug in my drink.” He found a condom and added, “I think there’s a good chance that I was drugged and raped. I will probably never be able to know for sure what happened.” The man broke down when he revealed that he had begun to fall ill and he was later diagnosed as HIV positive.
The BBC investigation said many of the events involved sexual acts and the men said they were recruited by a middleman identified as James Jacobson. Half claimed that they were misled about the nature of the events or that they were not told that sex would be involved, while others said they knew about sex but not exactly what was expected of them.
“The price was compliance”
A&F’s prospective models found themselves in an unpleasant position very early on. David Bradberry, 23 at the time, told the show that he was introduced to Jacobson by an agent who described him as the watchdog for the “owners” of A&F. He told the reporter that Jacobson suggested that Bruce Weber, who at the time was A&F’s official photographer, take his picture. Bradberry claimed: “Jim made it clear to me that if I didn’t let him give me oral sex, I wouldn’t be meeting with Abercrombie & Fitch or Mike Jeffries. I was paralyzed. It was like selling glory. And the price was compliance“, he said. Jacobson allegedly gave him $500 and told him it was for his time. Bradberry added: “I thought he was just a creepy old man I wouldn’t have to see again.”
Bradberry then accepted an invitation to an event at Jeffries’ former home in the Hamptons on Long Island, New York. Before the event, he said he was given an A&F gift card to buy an outfit, which he said made him feel special. In the Hamptons, Bradberry said he spoke to Jeffries and Smith about his aspirations to become an A&F model. Later, he said, Jeffries held “poppers” under his nose – one drug that can cause severe head disturbance and disorientation – and later had sex with him.
Men who took part in these events told the BBC that Jeffries and Smith engaged in sexual activity with approximately four men or “directed” them to have sex with each other. The men then said they were given envelopes filled with thousands of dollars in cash.
Prosecutor’s investigation
The two powerful men did not respond to repeated requests for comment from the BBC. The BBC reported that two former US attorneys; they independently reviewed documents and testimony and they called for an investigation to determine whether sex-trafficking charges should be filed. Under US law, sex trafficking involves persuading an adult to travel to another state or country to have sex for money by using force, fraud or coercion.
In turn, Jacobson is accused of soliciting or sexually “auditioning” them, asking for or offering oral sex before they were introduced to Jeffries. Other claims say the men were forced to sign confidentiality agreements and understood they would be sued if they spoke. Barrett Pall, a former model who is now involved in life coaching, stated that he felt pressured to attend an event in the Hamptons in 2011. Then 22, she told the BBC she was recruited by an older model to be his “surrogate” for “some sort of sexual experience” with Jeffries and his partner.
Pall revealed that the older model told him that “you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do”, but suggested that “the further you go, the better” and hinted at career opportunities. When she arrived at the event, supervised by staff, she felt pressure to “perform.” Pall said one of the other men hired for the event performed oral sex on him while Jeffries and Smith watched. He said he was then encouraged to come to the bed and kiss Jeffries. He added that later two other men hired for the event had sex with the A&F boss and his partner.
Source: News Beast
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