A federal judge in New York ruled the former CEO of Abercrombie is competent to stand trial on sex trafficking charges and help his attorneys.
Michael Jeffries, 81, has a grasp of the legal system, the charges he faces and other concepts required under the law to find someone capable of facing a trial, U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Choudhury ruled on Aug. 20.
A trial is currently scheduled for October 2026 in New York.
Jeffries is facing multiple charges accusing him, his romantic partner and another person of recruiting young men for supposed modeling opportunities to help their careers. The men would then be given drugs and alcohol
and coerced into participating in sexual acts, according to court records.
In his ruling, Choudhury said Jeffries has demonstrated through forensic evaluations, as well as hours of recorded phone calls, his ability to understand and appreciate the charges against him and recall information.
Jeffries' attorneys said in May 2025 that theformer CEO has dementia and Alzheimer's disease and those diagnoses would impact his ability to assist in a trial or understand what charges he faces.
"Jeffries is significantly more intelligent and functions at a far higher level than other defendants who have been found competent across the country," Choudhury wrote in his Aug. 20 opinion. "This Court has no hesitation in concluding that Jeffries is competent to proceed to trial."
In the recorded calls, made while Jeffries was under court-ordered detention at a medical facility for treatment and assessment, Jeffries followed the competency process and even questioned the length of time it was taking, Choudhury wrote.
Jeffries expressed concern over being found competent in calls, saying if the case went to trial he was "screwed" and "in real trouble," according to court records.
In one call with a codefendant, Jeffries spoke about one of the medical professionals evaluating him.
"She is very committed to coming up with a report that I am competent, which, as you know, is a disaster, will be a disaster for us in terms of time, effort, money, every way you can say it," Jeffries said, according to court records.
Evaluators found Jeffries described himself as a "voracious reader" and was able to recall recent events and information he had read or heard, including the concepts of other media he had consumed, like the streaming show "Heated Rivalry," court records say.
Jeffries ran the New Albany-based clothing retailer from 1992 to 2014. There is no evidence that any of the alleged crimes took place at the company's headquarters or involved company resources.
Choudhury said Jeffries would be provided some accommodations during trial because of his age and conditions, including limited trial hours, breaks, provided transcripts and time to review evidence each day with his attorneys.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Former Abercrombie CEO competent to stand trial in sex trafficking case
