Federal prosecutors said the men used force, fraud and coercion to engage in “violent and exploitative” sexual acts.

The FBI launched an investigation into the former A&F CEO last year after a BBC investigation found several men accusing Mr Jeffries and Mr Smith of sexually harassing them at events they held at their New York residences and hotels around the world.

The BBC investigation uncovered a complex operation involving a middleman named Mr Jacobson and a network of recruiters tasked with finding men for these events.

Prosecutors unsealed an indictment against the three men shortly after Mr. Jeffries and his partner were arrested in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday. Mr. Jacobson was arrested in Wisconsin.

Mr Jeffries was released on $10 million (£7.7 million) bail, while Mr Jacobson was released on $500,000 bail. Mr. Smith was taken into custody.

Prosecutors say Mr Jeffries and his partner preyed on “dozens” of vulnerable young men seeking careers in fashion and modeling between 2008 and 2015, exploiting them for their own sexual pleasure.

There are 15 victims whose names are not mentioned in the indictment.

The three men face up to life in prison if convicted of sex trafficking and up to 20 years in prison if convicted of interstate prostitution.

Breon Peace, the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, alleged on Tuesday that Mr Jeffries spent “vast amounts of money” trafficking men to have sex with him and his partner, while staff and security maintained events.

The couple hired Mr. Jacobson to recruit men for the couple, flying them to his New York home and other locations where they were pressured to use alcohol, Viagra and muscle relaxants or injected against their will, Mr. Peace said.

In its initial investigation, the BBC spoke to 12 men who described attending or organizing events involving sexual acts with Mr Jeffries, 80, and his British partner Mr Smith, 61.

Eight people who attended the events said they were recruited by an intermediary whom the BBC identified as James Jacobson.

Then last month more men came forward. Some claimed that Mr. Jeffries’ assistants injected their penises with what was said to be liquid Viagra.

After the BBC’s initial investigation was published last year, A&F announced it would launch an independent investigation into the allegations.

Mr. Jeffries served as the company’s CEO from 1992 to 2014. He resigned in 2014 after falling sales and left with a retirement package worth around $25 million (£20.5 million).