(NewsNation) — Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries had a long history of problematic behavior both in and out of the boardroom before he was indicted on several sex trafficking charges Tuesday.

Jeffries, 80, who left Abercrombie in 2014, is best known for his tenure with the retail brand, which became a sensation in the late 1990s and 2000s before crashing under poor sales and a wave of controversies under the former CEO.

The former head, his partner Matthew Smith, 61, and their employee James Jacobson, 71, were arrested Tuesday on charges of luring men into sex parties, at times under the guise of modeling jobs for Abercrombie.

The three are charged with sex trafficking and interstate prostitution involving 15 unnamed accusers using Jeffries’ status, wealth and a private staff.

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace described the system as a “casting couch” model where men hoping to get featured in an Abercrombie ad were then trafficked.

Jeffries’ attorney, Brian Bieber, told The Associated Press that 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.”

Who is Mike Jeffries?

Jeffries grew up in Los Angeles, where his father owned a chain of party supply stores before entering retail in the 1980s, reported Salon.

He became CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch in 1992 and immediately got to rebranding the company from a struggling retailer of hunting apparel to a seller of must-have teen clothing featuring what many called highly sexualized images of young models.

The........

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