The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch has been ruled mentally competent to stand trial on sex-trafficking charges, according to infohub.kz.
Michael Jeffries, 82, is currently free on bond, with his trial scheduled for late October. He will be tried alongside two co-defendants: his partner Matthew Smith and staffer James Jacobson. U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury concluded that Jeffries understands the proceedings and is mentally fit, following his stay at a federal prison hospital in Butner, North Carolina.
Judge Choudhury reviewed medical evaluations, written reports, and listened to hours of phone calls Jeffries made while in custody. In her decision, she stated that Jeffries understands the structure of the criminal legal system, courtroom procedures, and key legal concepts.
Jeffries' lawyer, Brian Bieber, declined to comment, saying, "We do not comment on the Judge's rulings. The case, and all related issues, will be tried inside the courtroom – not in the media."
Previously, Jeffries' lawyers argued that he required around-the-clock care for Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, and a traumatic brain injury. Medical experts testified that his cognitive issues were progressive and incurable. The judge ordered him to be hospitalized for evaluation, and after about four months, federal prison officials deemed him fit for trial.
Jeffries, Smith, and Jacobson have pleaded not guilty to charges including sex trafficking and interstate prostitution. Prosecutors allege they used promises of modeling jobs to lure men to drug-fueled sex parties in New York City, the Hamptons, and other locations. The criminal case echoes sexual misconduct accusations made in a civil case and in the media in recent years.
Jeffries left Abercrombie in 2014 after more than two decades. He is credited with transforming the New York retailer, originally founded to sell wilderness gear, into a mainstay of teen mall culture in the early 2000s.