Ex-Abercrombie CEO asks court to determine if he’s competent to face sex trafficking charges

By PHILIP MARCELO The Associated Press

FILE - Michael Jeffries, former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, leaves following a hearing at the Paul G. Rogers Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in West Palm Beach, Fla., Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, FILE)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Rebecca Blackwell]

NEW YORK (AP) — The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch has requested a court hearing to determine whether he’s mentally fit to stand trial as he faces federal sex trafficking charges in New York.

A lawyer for Michael Jeffries made a motion for a competency hearing during a court appearance Tuesday in federal court on Long Island.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace’s office, which is prosecuting the case, said there was no discussion in court as to why Jeffries was requesting the hearing.

His attorney, Brian Bieber, declined to comment afterward, stating in an emailed reply that the request “will be dealt with in Court as, and when, appropriate – according to the Judge.”

U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury gave Jeffries’ lawyers until Dec. 24 to provide further information to the court, including how much of its motion can be sealed, according to Peace’s office.

The judge also set a Feb. 6 date for his lawyers to submit a report from a doctor evaluating Jeffries’ competency. Prosecutors then have until April 8 to file their own doctor’s report.

No date was set for the actual hearing before the judge, Peace’s office said. For now, Jeffries is next due back in federal court in Central Islip on March 13.

U.S. code allows judges to hold such a hearing if there is reasonable cause to believe that the defendant is suffering from a mental disease or defect that prevents them from understanding the nature of the proceedings against them, or assisting properly in their defense.

Jeffries, his romantic partner and a third man were arrested in October on charges of luring men into taking part in sex parties by dangling the promise of modeling for the clothing retailer, once famous for its preppy, All-American aesthetic and shirtless male models.

The 80-year-old Jeffries pleaded not guilty in October and is free on a $10 million bond. His 61-year-old partner Matthew Smith pleaded not guilty last week and was similarly released on bond with conditions including home detention and GPS monitoring.

The pair are also limited to $125,000 in monthly withdrawals from a trust set up for their benefit, and Smith, a dual American and British citizen, was ordered to surrender his passport.

The third man, 71-year-old James Jacobson, was an employee of Jeffries and recruited men for the sex parties, according to prosecutors. He too has pleaded not guilty and remains free on a $500,000 bond.

Jeffries served as CEO of Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014, presiding over the evolution of the company from its roots as a hunting and outdoor goods store founded in Manhattan in 1892 to a fixture of teen mall culture during the early 2000s.