Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO’s dementia may leave him incompetent to face sex charges, lawyers say
Mike Jeffries has pleaded not guilty to one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution
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A former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch has dementia and late-onset Alzheimer’s that may leave him incompetent to stand trial for the sex trafficking charges he’s facing, his lawyers said in court documents filed in New York on Monday.
Lawyers for Mike Jeffries, 80, said in the filing that they questioned the former CEO’s attentiveness, competency and focus, according to NBC News.
“The Michael Jeffries who presented himself did not even come close to resembling a master’s degree-educated individual, who was just nine years earlier, the chief executive officer of a publicly traded company,” the filing reads.
Brian H. Bieber, one of his attorneys, “questioned Mr. Jeffries’ competency to rationally assist—on a sustained and consistent basis—counsel in connection with the possible factual and legal defenses to the allegations he was facing.”
Jeffries was examined by a neuropsychologist in October and it was determined that he likely has dementia with behavioral disturbance, Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
The neuropsychologist said that cognitive impairments, including impaired memory, diminished attention, processing speed slowness, and ease of confusion means Jeffries would not be capable of assisting his attorneys, according to the filing.
His legal team argued in the filing that a competency hearing is necessary to determine if he can face sex charges. A competency hearing is scheduled for June.
Jeffries, who was CEO of the popular clothing chain from 1992 to 2014, was arrested in October on sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges.
The former CEO and his romantic partner Matthew Smith, along with James Jacobson, operated an “international sex trafficking and prostitution business” from 2008 to 2015, according to a federal indictment.
The alleged trafficking enterprise was used to locate, recruit, and coerce young men into engaging in sex acts at parties. These “sex events” took place across the world in locations like the Hamptons on Long Island, New York City and hotels in England, France, Italy, Morocco and Saint Barthélémy, according to the indictment.
Jacobson allegedly “traveled throughout the United States and internationally to recruit and interview men for the Sex Events,” according to the indictment. He also allegedly put potential recruits through “tryouts,” where they performed sexual acts on him.
Prosecutors said in court papers that the men were induced by “force, fraud and coercion” to engage in sex parties in which they were sometimes directed to wear costumes and endure painful erection-inducing injections.
In addition to Jacobson, an “exclusive set of household staff” also facilitated the alleged trafficking, and have been accused of securing physical spaces for sex events and transporting men to and from the gatherings.
Jeffries pleaded not guilty to one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution. He was released on $10 million bond with a judge ordering that he be confined to home detention with GPS monitoring and prohibiting him from traveling without the proper approval.
Jacobson also pleaded not guilty and was released on bond. But Smith, a dual U.S.- British citizen, was initially detained after prosecutors raised concerns that he might flee the country.
Earlier this month, Smith, 61, was released on a $10 million bond with conditions including home detention and GPS monitoring. He pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and prostitution charges.
Under the terms of the bail agreement, Smith will turn over his passport and he and Jeffries will be limited to $125,000 in monthly withdrawals from a trust set up for their benefit.
Jefferies, who took over as CEO of Abercrombie in 1992, led the company’s transformation into a mainstay of early 2000s teen culture.
He left Abercrombie in 2014, and the Ohio-based company said in a statement posted on Instagram that it was “appalled and disgusted” by the allegations against him.