Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was arrested in Florida and is facing sex trafficking charges, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, told CNBC on Tuesday.

Two of Jeffries’ associates, Matthew Smith of West Palm Beach, Florida, and James Jacobson of Wisconsin, also face charges in connection with the case, the spokesman said.

Jeffries and Smith are scheduled to make their first appearances in federal court in the Southern District of Florida later Tuesday. Jacobson will be arraigned in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.

All three men will be arraigned at a later date in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the spokesperson said.

Brian Bieber, an attorney for Michael Jeffries, told NBC News in a statement: “We will respond in detail to the allegations after the indictment is unsealed, and as appropriate, but intend to do so in the courthouse – not in the media .”

Abercrombie & Fitch declined CNBC’s request for comment.

The news came hours before federal prosecutors were scheduled to hold a press conference in Brooklyn, New York, to announce the arrests of a “former CEO of a major corporation” and two others in a “sex trafficking and interstate prostitution case.”

The criminal case comes a year after Abercrombie, Jeffries and Smith were sued for allegedly turning a blind eye to sexual misconduct by the former CEO.

Jeffries was accused in that federal civil lawsuit of operating a sex trafficking ring that exploited young men who had hoped to become models for the company.

Attorney Brittany Henderson of Edwards Henderson, the law firm representing the plaintiff in the case, said in a statement to CNBC: “Today’s arrests are monumental for the aspiring male models who have been victimized by these individuals.”

“Their fight for justice does not end here. We look forward to holding Abercrombie and Fitch accountable for facilitating this terrible behavior and ensuring it cannot happen again,” said Henderson.

Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014. Smith was described in the civil lawsuit as Jeffries’ longtime partner and “someone with apparent authority who allowed Abercrombie to work extensively for the brand despite holding no official position within the company.” “

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— CNBC’s Gabrielle Fonrouge contributed reporting.