08/21/2026
Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO ruled mentally competent to stand trial on s*x trafficking charges — after months in a federal prison hospital for dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms.
A federal judge in New York has ruled that Michael Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, is mentally competent to stand trial for alleged s*x trafficking after being hospitalized for months for dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms. U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury ruled Thursday that Jeffries “clearly possesses a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings” and is a “reasonably intelligent person and skilled communicator.” The judge said she reviewed testimony and written reports from medical experts and listened to hours of phone calls Jeffries made to his romantic partner, lawyers and others while in custody.
Jeffries’ lawyers had argued he required around-the-clock care to deal with the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia and a traumatic brain injury, with medical experts testifying his cognitive issues were “progressive and incurable” and that he would not regain competency. That prompted the judge to order him hospitalized to see if his mental condition would improve. After about four months at the federal prison hospital in Butner, North Carolina, officials in December deemed him fit to stand trial.
Jeffries, 82, is scheduled to stand trial in October in Central Islip federal court on Long Island.  The judge said she’ll take more regular breaks and run trial hours from 1-5 p.m. Monday through Friday to give Jeffries time to review testimony and confer with his lawyer.  Jeffries and co-defendants Matthew Smith and James Jacobson have all pleaded not guilty to federal charges including s*x trafficking and interstate prostitution, with prosecutors alleging the men used promises of modeling jobs to lure victims into drug-fueled situations.
Do you think a judge should weigh a defendant’s cognitive decline this heavily before a trial like this — or does the timeline concern you more?
