The previous CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) has dementia and past due onset Alzheimer’s illness, his prison workforce has mentioned in a courtroom report filed in New York.Legal professionals for Mike Jeffries have asked a listening to to decide whether or not he’s mentally are compatible to face trial on federal intercourse trafficking fees.The 80-year-old used to be arrested along his spouse in October and charged with operating a global intercourse trafficking and prostitution trade. Each males have pleaded no longer to blame. A so-called competency listening to has been scheduled for June subsequent 12 months.Mr Jeffries, who ran US clothes emblem A&F for twenty years, is accused of operating a intercourse trafficking and prostitution trade from no less than 2008-15.US prosecutors allege that he used his wealth, energy and standing “to site visitors males for his personal sexual excitement”, and for the excitement of his British spouse Matthew Smith, 61.They mentioned the couple, along a intermediary James Jacobson, 71, used drive, fraud and coercion to make prone, aspiring fashions interact in violent and exploitative intercourse acts.All 3 males have pleaded no longer to blame to the costs and been launched on bond.The FBI started investigating remaining 12 months after the BBC published claims Mr Jeffries and Mr Smith had sexually exploited males at occasions they hosted all over the world.The BBC investigation, printed in October 2023, discovered the pair have been on the centre of an advanced operation involving a intermediary scouting younger males for intercourse.In the similar month, Brian Bieber, Mr Jeffries’ attorney, mentioned his consumer used to be tested a number of instances through a neuropsychologist who later concluded diagnostic impressions that he used to be affected by two varieties of dementia and possible past due onset Alzheimer’s illness.Within the courtroom submitting, Mr Bieber added that all through an preliminary assembly remaining 12 months the previous type boss “didn’t even come with regards to equivalent to a grasp’s degree-educated person, who used to be simply 9 years previous the executive govt officer of a publicly traded corporate”.Consequently, Mr Bieber puzzled the facility of Mr Jeffries to “rationally lend a hand” with the conceivable factual and prison defences to the allegations he used to be going through, consistent with the report.The submitting comes after Mr Jeffries’ prison workforce sought a competency listening to, which can now be held over two days on 16 and 17 June 2025.Federal prosecutors within the Jap District of New York declined to remark.Mr Jeffries stepped down as CEO and chairman of A&F in 2014, and left with a $25m (£19.9m) retirement package deal.Along the prison case, A&F, Mr Jeffries and his spouse were protecting a civil lawsuit accusing the store of getting funded a intercourse trafficking operation.Previous this month, Mr Jeffries sued A&F after it refused to pay his prison defence prices, arguing the emblem had agreed to indemnify him for all claims bobbing up out of his place.Heather Cucolo, a New York Legislation College professor specialising in psychological incapacity and prison regulation, mentioned there are restricted statistics on how the justice device treats dementia however that scientific mavens must weigh in prior to the pass judgement on makes a last resolution.”If Mike Jeffries is located competent, the case will transfer ahead,” she mentioned. “But when he is deemed incompetent, and it is discovered there is no affordable chance that his competency will probably be restored, then the costs would need to be dropped.”His spouse Matthew Smith and James Jacobson may just nonetheless face trial however prosecutors must depend on impartial proof if Mr Jeffries may be discovered to be incompetent to testify as a witness, she added.
