Former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch Mike Jeffries has been ruled competent to stand trial on sex trafficking and prostitution charges, a federal court has decided, reversing an earlier ruling. This was reported by infohub.kz.
Last year, a court declared Jeffries "mentally incompetent" and stated that he was suffering from dementia and late-onset Alzheimer's disease. However, after examining his medical records and listening to more than 21 hours of audio recordings across 109 calls, Judge Nusrat Choudhury has now ruled that there is "ample evidence" to show that Jeffries is fit to stand trial.
Jeffries faces more than a dozen charges related to sex trafficking involving interstate prostitution. His trial is scheduled to begin on October 26. In her ruling, which spans over 150 pages, Judge Choudhury noted that the audio recordings of phone calls were "particularly illuminating."
"On the calls, Jeffries is a fluent conversational partner and shows that he has the ability to learn new information auditorily," said Judge Choudhury. "Jeffries clearly possesses a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings to adjudicate his criminal charges."
The court will make certain accommodations in light of Jeffries' age of 81 and his cognitive impairments. The trial will be held from 13:00 to 17:00, allowing Jeffries to use the mornings to review transcripts and discuss developments from the previous day. The trial will also include at least two or three 15-minute breaks, and both parties will be required to provide full transcripts each day for Jeffries' review.
"To be clear, Jeffries is competent to proceed regardless of these accommodations," concluded Judge Choudhury.
In October 2024, Jeffries, his partner Matthew Smith, 62, and their alleged middleman James Jacobson, 73, were charged with running a global sex trafficking and prostitution business. They have pleaded not guilty. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Their arrests followed an October 2023 BBC investigation and podcast series that revealed the trio had been at the center of a sophisticated operation recruiting young men for sex around the world while Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.