Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries has dementia and may be ruled incompetent to face sex-trafficking charges, his lawyers argued in court papers filed Monday.
Jeffries, 80, has been freed on $10 million bail after pleading not guilty in October to sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges.
A neuropsychologist examined Jeffries in October and determined he likely has dementia with behavioral disturbance, Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia, according to court papers filed on Long Island by his defense attorneys.
Jeffries would not be able to assist his attorneys in his own defense because he is easily confused, processes things slowly and his memory is impaired, the lawyers argued.
Prosecutors and Jeffries’ defense team wrote a joint letter suggesting a two-day hearing in June for psychological experts to testify about Jeffries’ competency.
Jeffries and his romantic partner, Matthew Smith, worked with a third man and ran a yearslong scheme to pressure and intimidate young men into drug-fueled sex parties, according to federal investigators.
The defendants were first accused in civil court before federal authorities began investigating and brought charges against them. The victims were induced by “force, fraud and coercion” to attend the parties between 2008 and 2015 at various locations around the world, including New York City and Long Island, authorities said.
With News Wire Services
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