NEW YORK: Mike Jeffries, the former longtime chief executive of Abercrombie & Fitch has been criminally charged with sex trafficking and prostitution involving dozens of men.

The 16-count indictment was unveiled on Tuesday by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn a decade after Jeffries left the retailer he built over 22 years into a popular clothing brand known for sexually charged marketing.

It followed a BBC investigation and proposed class action lawsuit accusing Jeffries of baiting young men with the prospect of modelling jobs to lure them into travelling around the world so they could be sexually abused.

US Attorney Breon Peace, whose office won a conviction and 30-year prison term for the singer R Kelly for sex trafficking, said powerful people have for too long sexually abused young people who yearned for careers in fashion and entertainment.

"To anyone who thinks they can exploit and coerce others by using the so-called casting couch system, this case should serve as a warning: Prepare to trade that couch for a bed in federal prison," Peace said at a press conference.

The defendants include Jeffries, 80, his partner Matthew Smith, 61, and James Jacobson, 71, who allegedly recruited men for them.

Each was charged with one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution related to 15 unnamed victims between 2008 and 2015.

If convicted, they face possible life sentences and mandatory minimum 15-year prison terms for the sex trafficking charges. They face up to 20 years in prison for the interstate prostitution charges.

In separate court hearings, Jeffries and Jacobson were ordered released on respective bonds of $10 million and $500,000.

A spokesperson for Peace said they are expected to enter formal pleas on Friday afternoon in the Central Islip, New York federal court. Prosecutors want both men subjected to home confinement.

Smith, a dual US-British citizen, was ordered detained at his court hearing. Prosecutors want him jailed pending trial, citing the risk of flight.

Jeffries' lawyer Brian Bieber and Smith's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment after the hearings. Jeremy Schneider, a lawyer for Jacobson, declined to comment.

Abercrombie also declined to comment. It was not accused of wrongdoing, and Peace said there was no evidence the alleged crimes took place on company property.