A New York federal court has ruled that the former chief executive officer of Abercrombie & Fitch Mike Jeffries is mentally unfit to stand trial on charges of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution.
Jeffries will be held for four months and treated in a hospital to determine whether his condition improves enough for his case to go forward.
In October, Jeffries, who worked at the Columbus, Ohio-based retailer from 1992 to 2014, was charged with one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution. He is accused of orchestrating an international sex operation that involved using his influence and phony modeling opportunities to take advantage of a few dozen men. The alleged incidents were said to have taken place in various properties and at some luxury hotels around the world.
His romantic partner Matthew Smith and James Jacobson, an alleged middleman, were also arrested last year and they face the same charges as Jeffries. All three men plead not guilty last year in the federal courthouse in Central Islip, N.Y., and have denied any wrongdoing. Last fall Jeffries was placed under house arrest after posting $10 million in bail.
In December, Jeffries’ legal team filed an unopposed motion to determine competency to stand trial and was later granted that by the court and was ordered to be examined by Dr. Alexander S. Bardley and Dr. Cheryl Paradis. Those evaluations concluded that Jeffries is suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to properly assist in his defense, according to his attorney Brian Bieber’s filing last month.
On Friday in the federal courthouse in East Islip, Justice Nusrat Choudhury ruled that Jeffries was suffering from a mental disease or defect and would be unable to understand court proceedings. Jeffries is said to meet the criteria for major neurocognitive disorder, specifically Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body disease and the residual effects of a traumatic brain injury. His attorneys said that Jeffries requires 24/7 care to maintain his health and safety and that his cognitive deficits “significantly impair” his ability to understand the nature and consequences of the charges or to participate in his defense “with a reasonable degree of rational understanding.”
Brad Edwards of Edwards Henderson, who is representing some of Jeffries’ accusers, was not immediately available Saturday to comment, nor was Jeffries’ attorney Bieber of Gray & Robinson.
Representatives at Abercrombie & Fitch, which was ordered by the court to pay for Jeffries’ legal defense in March, did not respond immediately to a request for comment Saturday.
