Dementia Diagnosis Cited for Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Facing Sex Trafficking Charges

A court document submitted in New York by the legal representatives of the former Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) CEO states that he is suffering from dementia and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Attorneys representing Mike Jeffries have sought a hearing to assess his mental competency to face federal charges related to sex trafficking. Mr. Jeffries, aged 80, was apprehended with his partner in October and accused of operating an international enterprise involving sex trafficking and prostitution. Both individuals have entered pleas of not guilty. A competency hearing is slated for June of the following year. Mr. Jeffries, who led the American clothing brand A&F for twenty years, faces allegations of operating a sex trafficking and prostitution business between at least 2008 and 2015. Prosecutors in the U.S. claim he leveraged his affluence, influence, and standing “to traffic men for his own sexual pleasure,” as well as for the gratification of his 61-year-old British partner, Matthew Smith. According to prosecutors, the pair, in conjunction with 71-year-old middleman James Jacobson, employed force, deception, and intimidation to compel susceptible, aspiring models into participating in violent and exploitative sexual activities. All three defendants have entered not guilty pleas to the accusations and been granted release on bond. The FBI initiated an investigation last year subsequent to the BBC’s disclosure of allegations that Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Smith had sexually exploited men at gatherings they organized globally. The BBC’s inquiry, released in October 2023, determined that the two individuals were central to an elaborate scheme that utilized a middleman to recruit young men for sexual purposes. During that same month, Brian Bieber, counsel for Mr. Jeffries, stated that his client underwent multiple examinations by a neuropsychologist, who subsequently formed diagnostic impressions indicating he was afflicted with two forms of dementia and probable late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Within the court document, Mr. Bieber further noted that during an initial consultation last year, the former fashion executive “did not even come close to resembling a master’s degree-educated individual, who was just nine years earlier the chief executive officer of a publicly traded company.” Consequently, as per the document, Mr. Bieber raised doubts about Mr. Jeffries’ capacity to “rationally assist” in developing potential factual and legal defenses against the accusations he is confronting. This submission follows the request by Mr. Jeffries’ legal team for a competency hearing, which is now scheduled to take place over two days, on June 16 and 17, 2025. Federal prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York chose not to provide a statement. Mr. Jeffries resigned from his roles as CEO and chairman of A&F in 2014, departing with a retirement package valued at $25 million (£19.9 million). In addition to the criminal proceedings, A&F, Mr. Jeffries, and his partner are currently defending against a civil lawsuit that alleges the retailer financed a sex trafficking operation. Earlier this month, Mr. Jeffries initiated legal action against A&F, contending that the brand had committed to indemnify him for all claims stemming from his employment, after it declined to cover his criminal defense expenses. Heather Cucolo, a professor at New York Law School with expertise in mental disability and criminal law, noted the scarcity of data regarding the justice system’s handling of dementia cases, emphasizing that medical professionals would need to provide input before a judge renders a conclusive ruling. “If Mike Jeffries is found competent, the case will move forward,” she stated. “But if he’s deemed incompetent, and it’s found there’s no reasonable likelihood that his competency will be restored, then the charges would have to be dropped.” She further explained that his partner, Matthew Smith, and James Jacobson could still proceed to trial; however, prosecutors would need to depend on independent evidence if Mr. Jeffries is also determined to be unfit to provide witness testimony.