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Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries likely has dementia and possible Alzheimer's disease, casting doubt on his ability to stand trial in a sex-trafficking case, his lawyers have said.
According to court papers filed Monday and seen by Business Insider, a neuropsychologist has assessed that "the combination of Mr. Jeffries' cognitive impairments" means that he would be unable to contribute to his own defense.
Jeffries, 80, along with his partner Matthew Smith and a third man, were arrested in October on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Earlier this month, lawyers for Jeffries filed a motion to determine his competency to stand trial.
The neuropsychologist found "a significant neurological deficit" after examining him in October last year and said her "initial diagnostic impressions" were consistent with dementia, the latest filing states.
Follow-up tests this year gave further "diagnostic impressions" of dementia and "probable" late-onset Alzheimer's, it says.
A diagnostic impression is a preliminary assessment of a patient rather than a final diagnosis.
"The Michael Jeffries who presented himself did not even come close to resembling a Master's degree-educated individual," the filing said.
The issues include "impaired memory, diminished attention, processing speed slowness, and ease of confusion," it continued.
The doctor has deemed his disease to be "irreversible" and said it will worsen over time, the filing said.
A so-called competency hearing has been scheduled for June next year, the BBC reported.
Jeffries, who left Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014, has pleaded not guilty to the sex trafficking charges, as have Smith and the third accused man.
Prosecutors say that they ran an international sex trafficking and prostitution business, coercing vulnerable men connected to the company into taking part in "sex events."
Between about 2008 to 2015, the accused men used the "so-called casting couch system" in their scheme, Breon Peace, the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, alleged in a news conference announcing the charges in October.
The indictment states that the men used Jeffries' power and wealth "to run a business that was dedicated to fulfilling their sexual desires and ensuring that their international sex trafficking and prostitution business was kept secret, thereby maintaining Jeffries' powerful reputation."
His arrest came after a high-profile BBC investigation cited a number of men who said they were exploited or abused as part of the events Jeffries is accused of.
Jeffries was hired as CEO in 1990, ushering in a period in which the brand relied heavily on sex appeal to sell its preppy outfits. Huge popularity came alongside a 2003 class-action lawsuit that alleged racialized and looks-based discrimination against staff and prospective employees, which was settled in 2004 without admission of wrongdoing.
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch is seeking to delay his federal sex-trafficking case on mental competency grounds.
Attorneys for the brand's former top executive, Mike Jeffries, asked a Manhattan judge on Monday to schedule a hearing to determine whether Jeffries is competent to stand trial, a spokesperson for the US attorney's office of the Eastern District of New York told Business Insider in a statement. Federal prosecutors are expected to challenge the move, which could add months to pretrial proceedings.
The defense would have until December 24 to file papers telling US District Judge Nusrat Choudhury how much of their competency motion can be sealed. The rest of the competency battle will play out throughout the first months of 2025.
The spokesperson said the defense has until February 6 to file a doctor's report supporting the competency motion, and the prosecution has until April 8 to file their own doctor's report. The competency hearing itself has yet to be scheduled, the spokesperson said. Jeffries is due back in court on March 13, 2025.
"We filed a motion to Determine Mr. Jeffries' Competency to Stand Trial, which will be dealt with in Court as, and when, appropriate β according to the Judge," Brian Bieber, an attorney for Jeffries, told BI in a statement. A competency hearing is meant to determine whether a defendant is able to understand the charges against them and the role of the judge, prosecutor, and defense attorney.
On October 22, Jeffries, his partner, and a third man were arrested in Florida on federal sex-trafficking charges. Prosecutors allege they ran an international sex-trafficking and prostitution business. The men used Jeffries' position at the company to coerce dozens of men, many of whom wanted to become Abercrombie models, to partake in "sex events" in America and abroad, prosecutors say. Jeffries and Matthew Smith, his partner, have been accused of paying for men to travel to their New York homes and international hotels, where they performed sex acts.
Jeffries, 80, served as Abercrombie's CEO from 1992 to 2014. The indictment alleges that the sex-trafficking spanned from about 2008 to 2015, though Breon Peace, the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said his office believes "dozens and dozens of men" were victims between 1992 and 2015.
During his time at Abercrombie, Jeffries steered the brand toward a more sexualized image, complete with shirtless models greeting shoppers. He was first hired by Les Wexner, a Jeffrey Epstein associate. At the peak of his career, Jeffries earned an annual eight-figure salary. His retirement package was reportedly around $25 million and he earned yearly payments of $1 million that ended last year.
