Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch chief fit to stand trial in sex trafficking case, judge says
Jeffries was declared "mentally incompetent" by a court last year and said to be suffering with dementia and late onset of Alzheimer's disease.
A federal court has reversed an earlier decision, ruling that Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, is competent to stand trial on charges of sex trafficking and prostitution.
Last year, a court had deemed Jeffries "mentally incompetent," citing diagnoses of dementia and late-onset Alzheimer's disease. However, Judge Nusrat Choudhury has now determined there is "ample evidence" of his fitness to stand trial, following an examination of his medical records and over 21 hours of audio recordings from 109 phone calls.
Jeffries faces more than a dozen charges related to sex trafficking, which involve violations of interstate prostitution laws. His trial is scheduled to commence on October 26.
In her ruling, which spanned over 150 pages, Judge Choudhury highlighted the "particularly illuminating" nature of the audio recordings of phone calls. She stated, "On the calls, Jeffries is a fluent conversational partner and shows that he has the ability to learn new information auditorily." The judge added, "Jeffries clearly possesses a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings to adjudicate his criminal charges."
Despite this finding, the court will implement certain accommodations due to Jeffries' age of 81 and his cognitive impairments. Court sessions will be held from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, allowing Jeffries the morning to review transcripts and discuss the previous day's developments. The trial will also include "at least two or three 15-minute breaks," and both parties will be required to provide full transcripts daily for Jeffries' review. Judge Choudhury clarified, "To be clear, Jeffries is competent to proceed regardless of these accommodations."
In October 2024, Jeffries, along with his partner Matthew Smith, 62, and their alleged middleman James Jacobson, 73, were charged with operating a global sex trafficking and prostitution enterprise. All three have pleaded not guilty. A conviction could result in a maximum sentence of life in prison.
These arrests followed an October 2023 BBC investigation and an ongoing podcast series, which revealed that the trio had been at the center of a sophisticated operation that scouted young men for sex worldwide during Jeffries' tenure as CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.