A federal judge has ruled that former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries is mentally competent to stand trial on sex trafficking charges in New York, following months of hospitalization for dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms. The decision, issued Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury, comes after extensive medical evaluations and a four-month stay at a federal prison hospital in Butner, North Carolina.
Judge Choudhury reviewed testimony, written reports from medical experts, and hours of phone calls Jeffries made while in custody. She concluded that Jeffries “clearly possesses a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings” and is a “reasonably intelligent person and skilled communicator.”
Jeffries’ defense attorneys had argued he needed round-the-clock care due to Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, and a traumatic brain injury, with medical experts claiming his cognitive issues were “progressive and incurable.” This led the judge to order his hospitalization to determine whether his condition could improve. After treatment, federal prison officials determined in December that Jeffries was fit to stand trial.
Currently free on bond, eighty-two-year-old Jeffries is set to go to trial in late October alongside two co-defendants: his partner Matthew Smith and staffer James Jacobson. All three have pleaded not guilty to federal charges including sex trafficking and interstate prostitution. Prosecutors allege the trio lured men to drug-fueled sex parties in locations such as New York City and the Hamptons by promising modeling jobs.
The criminal case mirrors prior civil lawsuits and media reports that made similar accusations against Jeffries. He left Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014 after more than twenty years, during which he helped reshape the company’s marketing and image.
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Thursday (August 27). As stated by Jeffries’ attorney, Brian Bieber, “The case, and all related issues, will be tried inside the courtroom – not in the media.”
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