A judge found Michael Jeffries competent to stand trial in a federal sex-trafficking case.
Why it matters: The ruling removes a major delay and lets the Manhattan federal case move toward trial. Jeffries had been hospitalized while the court assessed whether he could understand the proceedings and help his lawyers.
- U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury found Jeffries competent to stand trial in federal court in Manhattan, AP reported.
- Jeffries faces federal sex-trafficking and interstate prostitution charges alongside Matthew Smith and James Jacobson.
- He spent about four months at the federal medical center in Butner, North Carolina, before the ruling.
- A trial is scheduled for late October, and Jeffries is free on bond.
U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury ruled that former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries is mentally competent to stand trial in the federal sex-trafficking case against him, according to AP. The decision clears a procedural hurdle in the Manhattan federal case and allows the proceedings to continue toward trial.
Choudhury said Jeffries "clearly possesses a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings" and described him as a "reasonably intelligent person and skilled communicator," AP reported. The judge said she reviewed testimony, written medical reports and recorded phone calls Jeffries made while in custody before concluding he was competent.
The ruling comes after months of hospitalization at the federal medical center in Butner, North Carolina. In May, Choudhury had found Jeffries incompetent and ordered treatment to determine whether his condition could improve, AP reported. Earlier concerns centered on dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia and a traumatic brain injury.
Jeffries led Abercrombie & Fitch from 1992 to 2014 and helped turn it into a teen mall-culture brand known for preppy, sexualized marketing and shirtless male models. He is charged with Smith and Jacobson in a case that prosecutors say involves promises of modeling work used to lure men to drug-fueled sex parties in New York City, the Hamptons and other locations.
Jeffries remains free on bond. The trial is scheduled for late October in federal court in New York.
By the numbers
- 4 months - Approximate time Jeffries spent hospitalized at the federal medical center in Butner, North Carolina.
- 82 - Jeffries' age, according to the draft.
- Late October - The current trial timing.
Yes, but: The competency ruling does not address the underlying sex-trafficking and interstate prostitution charges, which still must be tested at trial.
What's next: Jeffries' trial is scheduled for late October in federal court in Manhattan.