Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO and boyfriend arrested for exploiting and abusing young men at events

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffrieswere arrested this Tuesday as a result of a criminal sex trafficking investigation carried out by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, sources familiar with the case have informed ABC News.

The investigation, in which Jeffries’ partner and partner, Matt Smith, and a third man, Jim Jacobson, have also been arrested, has analyzed whether those arrested sexually exploited and abused young men at parties they organized in the United States and around the world, according to sources.

Federal prosecutors made public the existence of this investigation in January, launched after the alleged victims presented a civil lawsuit a year ago.

“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York has initiated a criminal investigation into the alleged events and events discussed in the lawsuit,” prosecutors said in a court filing.

The plaintiffs’ attorney, Brad Edwards, told ABC News that Jeffries’ was a “sex trafficking organization run by Abercrombie that permeated the entire company“and allowed the three arrested to take advantage of “dozens of young aspiring male models.”