News Flash! Marc Jacobs Pays $1 Million Fine

I had totally forgotten about this mess, but according to WWD, Marc Jacobs has agreed to pay a $1 million fine to New York State for bribing the former superintendent of the 69th Regiment Armory, James Jackson, for use of the armory’s drill hall to host his fashion shows.

From around February 2000 to February 2007, Marc Jacobs International used an intermediary to pay Jackson cash and goods valued in excess of $35,000 to allegedly get 'preferential booking' for the armory space during New York Fashion Week. Guess bribery is considered a no-no.

Pursuant to the agreement, Marc Jacobs agreed to engage the services of a private monitoring agency for a two-year period to review its operations and report to the attorney general. Marc Jacobs’ executives have cooperated fully with the investigation and the agreement resolves the investigation with respect to Marc Jacobs, according to Cuomo.

Jackson, 57, has pled guilty to larceny and bribery in the second degree for demanding cash from armory exhibitors over an eight-year period, according to Cuomo.

Source: WWD