DNTCCC Crime News: Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries arrested on sex trafficking charges

 

Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries arrested on sex trafficking charges

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.

By Claire Gilbody Dickerson, Sky News, Tuesday October 22, 2024

https://news.sky.com/story/ex-abercrombie-and-fitch-ceo-mike-jeffries-arrested-on-sex-trafficking-charges-13238841

Mike Jeffries. File pic: AP

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, 80, 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, 61, employed Jacobson, 71, "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".

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".

Jeffries has been released on bail after paying a $10m (£7.7m) bond.

Jacobson has been released on bail after paying a $500,000 (£385,069) bond.

Smith was detained.

Jeffries and Jacobson will be arraigned on Friday at 3pm local time at the federal courthouse in Long Island.

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.

Ex-Abercrombie & Finch CEO Mike Jeffries arrested on sex trafficking charges 

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DNTCCC Crime News: Luton: Man, 18, appears in court charged with murder of two teenagers and woman

Luton: Man, 18, appears in court charged with murder of two teenagers and woman

Nicholas Prosper, of Leabank, spoke to confirm his name and date of birth at a court in Luton on Monday morning.

By Sky News, Monday September 16, 2024

https://news.sky.com/story/luton-teenager-appears-in-court-charged-with-murder-of-two-teenagers-and-woman-13216135

Nicholas Prosper has been charged with three murders

An 18-year-old has appeared in court charged with the murder of a woman and two teenagers in Luton.

The bodies of Juliana Prosper, 48, Giselle Prosper, 13, and Kyle Prosper, 16, were found at a flat in Leabank, off Wauluds Bank Drive, on Friday.

Juliana Prosper was among the victims

Wearing a grey jumper, Nicholas Prosper, of Leabank, spoke to confirm his name and date of birth at Luton Magistrates' Court on Monday morning.

Prosper, the son and brother of the victims, has also been charged with a number of other offences, the court heard.

According to the court's list, Prosper is charged with purchasing or acquiring a 12-ball Nikko shotgun in Luton without holding a certificate on 12 September and possession of a shotgun on 13 September.

Prosper was also charged with possession of a bladed article, a kitchen knife, in a public place on Bramingham Road on 13 September.

The court's public gallery was full of family members during Prosper's short appearance in the dock.

Deputy district judge Robert Borwick remanded Prosper into custody and ordered him to appear at Luton Crown Court for a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.

A friend of the victim said Juliana Prosper "lived for her children" and said she was "a positive person who will be so terribly missed".

A statement on X, from the headteacher at Lea Manor High School, said they were "deeply shocked" by the death of Giselle Prosper.

"Giselle was a beautiful soul and a model pupil, she excelled in all her subjects and will be sorely missed, particularly by her friends in Year 9."

Kyle Prosper's school described the incident as "devastating" and offered "heartfelt condolences" to his family.

A statement issued by Cardinal Newman Catholic School said: "This is devastating news to all those who knew and loved Kyle and it will take some time to come to terms with the profound sense of loss.

"We know this will be a difficult time for students and staff and we will do all we can to support them with love and compassion.

"We extend our heartfelt condolences to Kyle's family on their immeasurable loss, to his friends and to all those in neighbouring schools who are coming to terms with their own loss."

Teen arrested after 3 men ‘murdered’ in tower block as terrified neighbours heard 'bangs'

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DNTCCC Crime News: Millionaire heiress found dead in pool was killed by her husband for her £4m fortune, judge rules

 

Millionaire heiress found dead in pool was killed by her husband for her £4m fortune, judge rules

Paula Leeson's body was found in a swimming pool at a holiday cottage in Denmark in 2017. Her husband Donald McPherson, who was cleared of her murder in 2021, was blocked from inheriting her £4.4m estate after her family brought legal proceedings against him.

Sky News, Friday 6 September 2024

https://news.sky.com/story/millionaire-heiress-found-dead-in-pool-was-killed-by-her-husband-for-her-1634m-fortune-judge-rules-13210622?dicbo=v2-sBzPGs6

                                                       Paula Leeson. Pic: PA

A husband cleared of the murder of his wealthy wife has been blocked from inheriting her £4.4m estate after a judge ruled he did drown her in a swimming pool while on holiday.

The body of millionaire heiress Paula Leeson, 47, was found at a remote holiday cottage in Denmark in 2017.

Her death was initially treated as a tragic accident by the Danish authorities - though she had suffered 13 separate external injuries.

The summer break was booked by her husband Donald McPherson, 51 - who had taken out multiple secret life insurance policies on his wife before her death.

He went on trial accused of her murder in 2021 - and proceedings were dramatically halted halfway through when the judge ruled that despite circumstantial evidence, a jury could not be sure to the criminal standard - beyond reasonable doubt - that he had killed her.

McPherson was ordered to be found not guilty of the murder of his wife on the judge's direction to the jury.

Ms Leeson's family brought legal proceedings against him at Manchester Civil Courts of Justice, to block him benefiting from her death and her estate.

Ms Leeson's brother Neville Leeson (left) and father Willy Leeson (right) outside Manchester Civil Courts of Justice. Pic: PA

Following hearings earlier this year, Mr Justice Richard Smith on Friday ruled McPherson had killed his wife - and the "clear" motive was "money".

"Don deliberately and unlawfully killed Paula by compressing her neck in an arm lock rendering her unconscious and causing her body to enter the pool to ensure her drowning and death," he said.

"Don's motive for unlawfully killing Paula Leeson is clear: money."

Mr Justice Smith said the "critical question" was how Ms Leeson - who was 5ft 5in tall - came to be in the water, which was only 4ft deep, and unable to save herself.

He said she must have been unconscious and the distribution of her neck injuries suggested compression from an arm lock by her husband.

He added: "It is no exaggeration to say that lies and dishonesty pervade every aspect of Don's life. Don lies to anyone if it might serve his interests."

McPherson was not present or represented in court and is believed to be living somewhere in the South Pacific.

Ms Leeson's elderly father, Willy Leeson, her brother, Neville, and her son, Ben, were in court for the ruling.

Speaking outside the court, the family called on Greater Manchester Police and the Crown Prosecution Service to reopen the murder investigation.

"Today is bittersweet. It has been very difficult for us to hear this outcome without it being followed by the sentencing of Donald McPherson to prison," their statement said.

"This was a pre-meditated, cold-blooded murder, entirely motivated by Donald McPherson's wicked greed, to seek to benefit from insurance policies totalling £3.9m, the majority of which he had incepted dishonestly, deceptively and without Paula's knowledge."

They added they would not rest until McPherson - who they called "an evil, dangerous man" - is behind bars for killing their loved one.

The family run a successful skip and plant hire business in Sale, Greater Manchester, which Ms Leeson and her brother stood to inherit.

It was where she met McPherson, who used a "cover story" of being an orphan to hide his past after serving jail time for an £11m bank fraud in Germany.

Born Alexander James Lang and originally from New Zealand, McPherson was described as a "Walter Mitty" who had changed his name multiple times, had 32 convictions spanning 15 years in three countries, and whose previous wife and their child died in a house fire.

Ms Leeson and McPherson wed at a no-expense-spared ceremony at a Cheshire castle in 2014 after a "whirlwind romance".

McPherson has always denied any involvement in his wife's death and after he was acquitted of murder, in a statement through his solicitors, he described it as a "tragic accident".

His lawyers had argued Ms Leeson's injuries could be a result of her rescue from the pool and resuscitation attempts and pathologists could not rule out that she could have fainted or accidentally fallen into the pool and drowned.

Donald McPherson aka Donald Somers aka Alan Atkins, born Alexander Lang in New Zealand.

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DNTCCC Crime News: Wade Wilson: 'Deadpool killer' sentenced to death for 'atrocious' murders of women

Wade Wilson: 'Deadpool killer' sentenced to death for 'atrocious' murders of women

Wilson strangled Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz on the same night in October 2019, murders the judge called "heinous, atrocious and cruel".

By Sky News. Friday August 30, 2024

https://news.sky.com/story/wade-wilson-deadpool-killer-sentenced-to-death-for-atrocious-murders-of-women-13204677?dicbo=v2-08y6F9c

                        Wade Wilson in court. Pic: Cape Coral Police Department   
  

A man with a Nazi tattoo on his face has been sentenced to death for murdering two women, reports have said.

Wade Wilson, nicknamed the 'Deadpool killer' because he shares his name with the Marvel character played by Ryan Reynolds in the movie franchise, was sentenced on Tuesday by a court in Florida.

Wilson, who had declined to speak to the court in Lee County earlier in the afternoon, was impassive as he was sentenced while there was cheering and applause from the gallery, the Independent said.

In June, he was found guilty of killing Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz, both from the same state, in the city of Cape Coral on 6 October 2019.

He was given the death penalty for both crimes, the New York Post (NYP) said.

Circuit Judge Nicholas Thompson told the court "the evidence shows the murders were heinous, atrocious and cruel" while the second murder [of Ms Ruiz] was "cold, calculated and premeditated".

Jurors had recommended the death penalty and Judge Thompson said Wilson's crimes were so awful he found "no basis" to overrule them, the NYP added.

The 30-year-old, who has a swastika tattoo on his face, killed the women "for the sake of killing", Assistant State Attorney Andreas Gardiner told the court earlier.

Wilson first strangled Melton, 35, in her Cape Coral home, where her body was found, after they had met at a live music bar.

After stealing the dead woman's car, he used her phone to call his girlfriend, Melissa Montanez, 41. He assaulted her, but she refused to get into the vehicle.

He then met Ms Ruiz, 43, who asked him for directions in Cape Coral and invited her into the car.

When the woman tried to get out of the vehicle, Wilson strangled her before throwing her out of the car - only to get back in and "run her over until she looked like spaghetti," the court heard.

Ms Melton suffered bruising to her face and body, hemorrhages on her neck, and contusions to the lungs, liver, bladder, and colon, among others, the Independent said.

Among her injuries, Ruiz suffered a nasal bone fracture, a laceration to her left breast, bruising on both sides of her body, and multiple rib fractures.

Wilson's lawyers argued he suffered brain damage from drug addiction and had abandonment issues stemming from being given up for adoption by his biological parents.

His adoptive parents pleaded for clemency saying in a letter that: "the human is still in there."

Wilson was also found guilty of grand theft, burglary of a dwelling, battery, and petit theft.

In Florida, anyone sentenced to death can choose between lethal injection or electrocution.

Death Sentence for Wade Wilson: Strangled Women Murder Trial

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DNTCCC Crime News: Kentucky man jailed for nine years after faking death to avoid child support

Kentucky man jailed for nine years after faking death to avoid child support

Prosecutors said Jesse Kipf - who was divorced in 2008 - used the login details of a doctor to register himself as deceased in Hawaii.

By Dylan Donnelly, Sky News reporter, Thursday August 22, 2024

https://news.sky.com/story/kentucky-man-jailed-for-nine-years-after-faking-death-to-avoid-child-support-13201159

                                   Jessie Kipf. Pic: Grayson County Detention Center

A man was jailed after faking his own death in a bid to avoid paying child support, prosecutors have said.

Jesse Kipf, 39, of Somerset, Kentucky, was sentenced to nine years in prison for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft after he attempted to skip out on his outstanding child support obligations.

Carlton Shier, the US attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, said in a statement that Kipf accessed Hawaii's death registry system in January last year.

Using login details from a doctor living in another part of the US, the 39-year-old created a case for his own death and completed a worksheet for a death certificate in the Aloha State.

As a result, Kipf was registered as a deceased person in several government databases.

He also accessed other state registry systems and private networks using credentials stolen from real people and attempted to sell the access on the dark web.

After his arrest in November, he admitted he did this in part to avoid paying child support. Kipf then pleaded guilty to both charges in April.

In a statement, Mr Shier said: "This scheme was a cynical and destructive effort, based in part on the inexcusable goal of avoiding his child support obligations.

"This case is a stark reminder of how damaging criminals with computers can be, and how critically important computer and online security is to us all.

"Fortunately, through the excellent work of our law enforcement partners, this case will serve as a warning to other cybercriminals, and he will face the consequences of his disgraceful conduct."

According to court records, Kipf became divorced in 2008 and was deployed to Iraq for nearly a year between 2007 and 2008.

The Eastern District of Kentucky also ordered Kipf to pay more than $195,000 in restitution for damage to computer systems and the remaining total of his child support.

Kentucky man admitted to faking his death to avoid paying child support

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