Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries Ruled Competent for Sex Trafficking Trial
A federal judge declared ex-Abercrombie CEO Michael Jeffries mentally fit to stand trial on sex trafficking charges. Trial is set for January 4, 2027.
Former Abercrombie CEO Jeffries Cleared for Sex Trafficking Trial Beginning January 2027
A federal judge has ruled that Michael Jeffries, the 82-year-old former chief executive of Abercrombie & Fitch, is mentally competent to face trial on charges of running an international sex trafficking ring, Courthouse News Service reports. U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury set a trial date of January 4, 2027, following a three-day competency hearing held at a federal medical facility in Pennsylvania.
Jeffries is charged alongside his romantic partner Matthew Smith and a third defendant, James Jacobson, with luring numerous men — some of them former Abercrombie store employees or models — into a sex trafficking and prostitution scheme that prosecutors say operated between 2009 and 2015.
Competency Ruling Rejects Defense Claims of Cognitive Decline
Defense attorneys had argued that Jeffries suffers from Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia and a traumatic brain injury, rendering him incapable of understanding the proceedings against him. The conditions are progressive and cannot be cured, the legal team contended.
Choudhury rejected that argument in a 157-page ruling. "Jeffries clearly possesses a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings to adjudicate his criminal charges," the judge wrote. Choudhury, appointed by President Joe Biden, described Jeffries as "a reasonably intelligent person and skilled communicator" with a "more than sufficient ability to consult with his lawyers with a reasonable degree of rational understanding."
The judge's findings drew on expert testimony, medical records and more than 21 hours of recorded telephone calls made during Jeffries' stay at the federal medical center.
Phone Recordings Reveal Awareness of Current Events
Among the recordings cited in the ruling, a call from November 5, 2025 — the day after New York City's mayoral election — showed Jeffries asking Smith, "Who won … New York? Mamdani?" and speculating that the candidate had won by "[a] lot, I bet."
In the same period, Jeffries and Smith discussed the death of designer Giorgio Armani, Anna Wintour's departure from Vogue and Sean "Diddy" Combs' request for a presidential pardon. Jeffries speculated about how the Combs case might affect his own legal situation.
A November 18, 2025 call showed Jeffries telling Smith he feared a government expert witness was "very committed to coming up with a report that I am competent, which, as you know, is a disaster, will be a disaster for us in terms of time, effort, money, every way you can say it."
During his time at the Butner, Pennsylvania facility, Jeffries also made friends among fellow residents, at times relying on them to help him dial the phone or bring him coffee. The ruling noted he "developed problem-solving strategies for a variety of issues," including, as the judge wrote, figuring out how to covertly transport salt and hot sauce to his meals using "a plastic cup" and "a cardboard container" — telling Smith, "I feel like James Bond to tell you the truth."
Charges Span Nine Years of Alleged Abuse
The 16-count federal indictment covers alleged conduct between 2009 and 2015, a period that largely coincides with the final years of Jeffries' three-decade leadership of Abercrombie & Fitch. Prosecutors allege that Jeffries and Smith injected some men with prescription-grade erection medication and forced victims to engage in nonconsensual sex acts, consume alcohol, take muscle relaxants, wear costumes and use sex toys.
Jacobson is accused of traveling within the United States and abroad to hold "tryouts" that required candidates to perform sex acts with him.
The alleged "sex events" took place in New York City, the Hamptons and internationally — at hotels in England, France, Italy, Morocco and Saint Barthélemy — and participants were not told the full extent of the sexual activity they would be expected to perform, prosecutors say. All attendees were reportedly required to sign nondisclosure agreements.
Fifteen victims are named in the indictment. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York have said the defendants targeted "dozens and dozens" of men.
Trial Adjusted for Jeffries' Health Needs
The trial date had originally been set for October 26, but Jeffries' attorneys successfully sought a delay, citing concerns that holiday recesses would disrupt proceedings. Given Jeffries' health, the court will sit only in the afternoons. Prosecutors estimate their case will take approximately two months to present.
Jeffries is currently released on a $10 million bond package. He attended Thursday's hearing remotely, calling in from a conference room at his attorneys' office at GrayRobinson in West Palm Beach, Florida.
All three defendants — Jeffries, Smith and Jacobson — have pleaded not guilty.
Brian Bieber, an attorney for Jeffries, declined to address the competency ruling directly. "The case, and all related issues, will be tried inside the courtroom — not in the media," he said in an email to Courthouse News Service.
Source: Courthouse News Service