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Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries has been arrested on sex trafficking charges, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors has said.

Matthew Smith, Jeffries’ partner, and a third man, James Jacobson, have also been arrested on the same charges.

At a news conference in New York, Breon Peace, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said Jeffries used his “power, his wealth and his influence, to traffic men for his own sexual pleasure and that of his romantic partner, Matthew Smith”.

Mr Peace said the indictment alleged Jeffries and Smith employed Jacobson “to act as a recruiter to find men”.

Jacobson would “engage in ‘tryouts’ with men across the world where he would typically pay them to engage in sex acts with him”.

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Smith would then decide who would meet him and Jeffries and the selected men would be flown to Jeffries’ and Smith’s homes or to hotels around the world “for the purpose of attending events to engage in commercial sex”.

Mr Peace alleged all three defendants “used force, fraud and coercion to traffic those men for their own sexual gratification”.

“They caused the men to believe that attending these sex events could yield modelling opportunities with Abercrombie or otherwise benefit their careers,” Mr Peace alleged at a news conference.

“Smith and Jeffries employed a secret staff to operate these sex events. The staff ensured that the men signed non-disclosure agreements and handed over their personal items, such as their phones, before the start of the events to maintain the secrecy of these events.”

James Dennehy, assistant director of the FBI’s New York Field Office, said the indictment “highlights the abhorrent behaviour” of Jeffries, Smith and Jacobson.

He said the allegations are “not only beyond disturbing, dishonourable and disgraceful but simply put, it’s criminal”.

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It comes after several sexual misconduct allegations – including a lawsuit filed in New York last year accusing Abercrombie of allowing Jeffries to run a sex trafficking organisation during his 22-year tenure.

Jeffries’ attorney, Brian Bieber, said in an email to the Associated Press he would “respond in detail to the allegations after the indictment is unsealed, and when appropriate, but plan to do so in the courthouse – not the media”.

Lawyers for Smith did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A lawyer for Jacobson could not immediately be
reached for comment.

Lawyers for Jeffries and Smith have previously “vehemently denied” any wrongdoing.

Jeffries left Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014.

Abercrombie last year said it had hired an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation after a report on similar allegations was aired by the BBC.

Abercrombie & Fitch has declined to comment on Jeffries’ arrest.

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American Airlines forced to ground all US flights

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American Airlines forced to ground all US flights

American Airlines was forced to ground all flights in the US on Christmas Eve due to an unspecified technical issue.

The airline did not immediately say why it was stopping all flights, but social media was quickly abuzz with travellers worrying about getting to their loved ones for the holiday.

A groundstop notice was lifted not long after it was issued, but the possibility of disruption remains with so many flights needing to make up time.

Earlier on Tuesday, the airline said on social media: “An estimated timeframe has not been provided, but they’re trying to fix it in the shortest possible time.”

The Federal Aviation Agency said American Airlines was reporting “a technical issue and has requested a nationwide ground stop”.

In an update on Tuesday afternoon it said: “American Airlines reported a technical issue this morning and requested a nationwide ground stop. The ground stop has now been lifted.”

Air traffic control notice
Image:
The groundstop notice that was later rescinded

Passengers on social media reported having their flights stuck on the runway at various airports and being sent back to the gate.

American Airlines operates thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries.

It comes months after a faulty CrowdStrike software update led to worldwide flight cancellations.

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Former US president Bill Clinton in hospital with fever

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Former US president Bill Clinton in hospital with fever

Former US president Bill Clinton is in hospital in Washington DC after developing a fever.

Mr Clinton, 78, has been admitted to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital for “testing and observation”.

Angel Ureña, the 42nd president’s deputy chief of staff, told Sky’s US partner network NBC News he is in “good spirits and grateful for the care he is receiving”.

Another source close to Mr Clinton said the situation is “not urgent”.

“The former president will be fine,” the source added. “He developed a fever and wanted to be checked out. He is awake and alert.”

Mr Clinton was active on the campaign trail in support of vice president Kamala Harris this year and has also been promoting his book Citizen.

The former president, who served two terms from January 1993 until January 2001, also addressed the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this summer.

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Since leaving office, Mr Clinton has undergone two heart operations in New York – having a quadruple bypass operation in 2004, and two stents inserted into a coronary artery in 2010.

He was also in hospital for six days in 2021 with a urological infection that spread to his bloodstream.

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Matt Gaetz: Ex-Trump attorney general pick paid women for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, US House report says

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Matt Gaetz: Ex-Trump attorney general pick paid women for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, US House report says

Matt Gaetz, who was briefly Donald Trump’s nominee for US attorney general, paid women for sex, including with a 17-year-old girl, and used drugs while he was a member of Congress, a committee has said.

The House Ethics Committee’s report concluded there was “substantial evidence” that the former Florida congressman violated House rules, state and federal laws, and other standards of conduct banning prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, and obstruction of Congress.

And the committee accused the 42-year-old of accepting gifts of luxury travel in excess of permissible limits with a trip to the Bahamas in 2018.

The House of Representatives panel wrote: “From 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz made tens of thousands of dollars in payments to women that the Committee determined were likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use.”

The Republican, who denies any wrongdoing, had sought a restraining order against the committee in a bid to halt the release of its report summarising its investigation.

The filing accused the committee of an “unconstitutional” attempt “to exercise jurisdiction over a private citizen through the threatened release of an investigative report containing potentially defamatory allegations, in violation of the committee’s own rules”.

Last month, Trump ally Mr Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to be the next US attorney general – the country’s top legal official.

Mr Gaetz said his selection was “unfairly becoming a distraction” to the transition of Mr Trump’s administration into the White House.

Donald Trump and Matt Gaetz in Augusts 2023, Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump and Matt Gaetz in August 2023. Pic: Reuters

The Florida Republican had faced scrutiny over previous sex trafficking allegations which were investigated by the department he had been picked by the president-elect to lead.

Mr Gaetz was re-elected to the House of Representatives in November this year but resigned after Mr Trump nominated him as attorney general.

The 37-page House report said: “From at least 2017 to 2020, Representative Gaetz regularly paid women for engaging in sexual activity with him.

“In 2017, Representative Gaetz engaged in sexual activity with a 17-year-old girl. During the period 2017 to 2019, Representative Gaetz used or possessed illegal drugs, including cocaine and ecstasy, on multiple occasions.”

‘Sex with 17-year-old girl’

The ethics panel received testimony that Mr Gaetz had sex with a 17-year-old girl, described in the report as Victim A.

It said: “Victim A recalled receiving $400 in cash from Representative Gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex.

“Victim A said that she did not inform Representative Gaetz that she was under 18 at the time, nor did he ask her age.”

Mr Gaetz was investigated by the Justice Department for three years over sex trafficking allegations. No criminal charges were brought.

The ethics panel said there was not enough evidence that Mr Gaetz violated the federal sex trafficking statute.

All of the women who testified said the sexual encounters with Mr Gaetz were consensual.

‘I feel violated’

However, one woman told the committee that the use of drugs at the parties and events they attended may have “impair[ed their] ability to really know what was going on or fully consent”.

Another woman told the committee: “When I look back on certain moments, I feel violated.”

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