Lawyers representing former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries are claiming that he is mentally unfit to stand trial. This motion was submitted on Thursday as Jeffries faces serious charges related to sex trafficking and prostitution. Prosecutors in New York allege that he ran an international sex trafficking operation from 2008 to 2015.
Jeffries, who led Abercrombie from 1992 until 2014, pleaded not guilty to those charges in October 2024 and is currently under house arrest while awaiting trial. After entering his plea, his defense team requested a competency evaluation, expressing concerns over his mental health.
On Thursday, the defense provided evaluations conducted by medical specialists. According to the findings from Dr. Alexander Bardey, Dr. Miranda Rosenberg, and Dr. Cheryl Paradis, Jeffries suffers from mental health issues that hinder his ability to grasp the trial’s nature and assist in his defense. The doctors suggest that these impairments could stem from conditions like Alzheimer’s disease or the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Paradis labeled Jeffries’ mental issues as “severe enough” to be classified as dementia. “In my opinion, he is currently suffering from a mental disease or defect that makes him unable to understand the proceedings against him,” Dr. Paradis stated in the assessment.
The defense is requesting that Jeffries be taken into the custody of the Attorney General for up to four months to allow state doctors to evaluate his mental state. If these evaluations confirm his incompetency for trial, the defense wants him released to his home under the same conditions he currently has.
Jeffries and his partners, Matthew Smith and former employee James Jacobson, are accused of using manipulative tactics to lure young men into sex parties under the pretense of modeling opportunities. Allegations include coercing these individuals to forfeit their clothing and belongings, as well as injecting them with substances to induce erections to facilitate sexual acts.
The alleged victims, often young and seeking careers in modeling, were sometimes already employed at Abercrombie stores. Smith and Jacobson have also pleaded not guilty to similar trafficking charges.
If convicted, Jeffries faces a potential life sentence for the sex trafficking charge, with a minimum of 15 years. The charges related to interstate prostitution carry a maximum sentence of 20 years. His lawyers have not commented on these recent developments.
