Ex-CEO for Abercrombie & Fitch Michael Jeffries has dementia, can't stand trial, lawyers say

Attorneys for former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries said he has dementia and is not competent to stand trial in Long Island federal court on sex trafficking charges.

Jeffries, 80, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was charged with 16 felony counts including sex trafficking, interstate prostitution and criminal forfeiture, alleging that he operated an international sex trafficking ring by offering victims the prospect of modeling for Abercrombie & Fitch, including in Water Mill and New York City.

Jeffries ran the clothing company for more than 20 years through 2014. He was arrested in October. 

Jeffries has pleaded not guilty and was released after posting a $10 million bond. He last appeared in court in December, when his attorneys requested the competency evaluation.

A motion filed Thursday by Jeffries’ Miami-based attorney, Brian H. Bieber, said four independent doctors said Jeffries suffered from several cognitive disorders and diseases, including Alzheimer’s, that left him incompetent to stand trial in a Central Islip federal courtroom.

"To date, four doctors have evaluated Mr. Jeffries and determined that he is incompetent to proceed to trial," Bieber wrote in the motion. "Due to the progressive and incurable nature of his Major Neurocognitive Disorder, Mr. Jeffries will not regain his competency and cannot be restored to competency in the future."

Federal prosecutors did not object to the defense motion.

Bieber included a proposed motion for U.S. Eastern District Judge Nursat J. Choudhury to approve placing Jeffries in the custody of the U.S. Attorney General's office to be evaluated in a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility for up to four months "to determine whether his competency can be restored."

There is no timeline for the judge to sign the order.

Doctors who examined Jeffries said his conditions indicated a "disorder which will almost certainly worsen over time."

"Mr. Jeffries is currently suffering from a mental disease or defect which renders him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him and properly assist in his defense," Cheryl Paradis, a forensic psychologist in Brooklyn, wrote.  

Defense attorneys requested that if doctors determine Jeffries cannot regain competency, that he be released to home confinement.

Also charged in the case are Jeffries’ romantic partner, Matthew Smith, 61, of West Palm Beach. Prosecutors also charged a codefendant, James Jacobson, 71, of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, after authorities said he helped recruit men for sexual encounters, Newsday previously reported.

The codefendants are awaiting trial after posting bond. 

Prosecutors said the three defendants "preyed on" dozens of victims who  hoped to break into modeling and the fashion industry. The alleged abuse occurred from 2008 to 2015 at various locations, including in the Hamptons and abroad in Europe and St. Barts, prosecutors said.

— With Nicole Fuller

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.