‘I said no all the time’: Former Abercrombie & Fitch boss accused of abuse at global sex events | Sexual consent

The former CEO of American fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch is again being accused this weekend of exploitation and abuse during sex events around the world.

A witness said he attended a sex event in Spain with former fashion executive Mike Jeffries and his British partner Matthew Smith, thinking it would be a photo shoot, the BBC reported. Young men were injected with liquid Viagra at other events, witnesses said.

A BBC Panorama An investigation last October first revealed allegations that Jeffries and Smith had exploited young men for sex in cities around the world from 2009 to 2015. A broker involved in the events denied wrongdoing and said men went to the events “with their eyes wide open.”

Last year, a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. against Jeffries, Smith and Abercrombie & Fitch alleging “international sex trafficking and abuse of prospective models.” Jeffries’ legal representatives said in court documents that he denied the allegations and, along with Smith, asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit. A legal document filed on behalf of Smith reportedly said the claim “fails to describe specific, factual events” of alleged sexual misconduct by him. Abercrombie & Fitch said last year that it had hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation. It said the current board of directors had no prior knowledge of the allegations and that it had “zero tolerance for abuse, harassment or discrimination of any kind.”

Eight other men have now come forward to the BBC, some of whom claim they were assaulted or given drugs. The witnesses described the activities of some of Jeffries’ assistants — a group of young men in Abercrombie uniforms who traveled with him and reportedly attended several sex events. Some of the assistants injected the men with liquid Viagra, according to the new testimony.

One of the potential models named claims he was offered the chance to appear in an advert if he flew from his home in Los Angeles to Madrid to meet Jeffries and his team. The potential model, then 20, says he was led to Jeffries’ hotel suite and forcibly kissed by the former fashion retailer boss. The man said: “I tried to say no repeatedly. And then I just got convinced to do something. But I kept saying no and I wanted to go.” He alleged that Jeffries performed oral sex on him, the BBC reported.

Jeffries, now 80, was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch from 1992 to 2014 and is credited with transforming a struggling sportswear chain into a multibillion-dollar lifestyle brand. At its peak, the fashion retailer had more than 1,000 stores in the U.S., U.K. and Canada.

Following the BBC’s initial inquiry, the FBI reportedly opened an investigation into the claims. The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, with the Eastern District of New York, are reportedly interviewing witnesses, but law enforcement officials declined to comment.

Abercrombie & Fitch and a legal representative for Jeffries were reached for comment.