RICE LAKE – A man from Rice Lake is linked to a sex trafficking case involving the former CEO of Abercrombie and Fitch.
A 16-count indictment unsealed Tuesday in federal court charges former Abercrombie Chief Executive Officer Michael Jeffries with sex trafficking and engaging in interstate prostitution. Also charged are Jeffries’s alleged partner Matthew Smith and their alleged James Jacobson, who lives in Rice Lake, Wisconsin.
The indictment alleges that between December 2008 and March 2015, Jeffries, Smith, and Jacobson used a combination of force, fraud, and coercion to traffic men while operating a prostitution enterprise. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Jacobson allegedly traveled throughout the United States and internationally to recruit and interview men for the Sex Events. During “tryouts” of potential candidates, Jacobson typically required that the candidates first engage in commercial sex acts with him.
“As alleged in the indictment, former CEO of Abercrombie Michael Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith and their recruiter James Jacobson used their money and influence to prey on vulnerable men for their own sexual gratification,” said United States Attorney Peace.
The Barron County Sheriff’s Department confirmed they assisted the FBI on the arrest of Jacobson in Rice Lake Tuesday morning.
Many of the victims, at least one of whom was as young as 19 years old, were financially vulnerable and aspired to become models in the fashion industry. Some victims recruited by the defendants had previously worked at Abercrombie stores or had modeled for Abercrombie.
If convicted of the sex trafficking charge, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment. If convicted of the interstate prostitution charges, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment.
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