Judge Rules Ex-Abercrombie CEO Competent, Schedules Sex-Trafficking Trial for January 2027

A federal judge in Central Islip, New York, declared former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries, 82, mentally competent to face criminal charges and scheduled the trial for Jan 4 2027. Judge Nusrat Choudhury, a Joe Biden appointee, based her 157-page ruling on a three-day medical assessment, expert testimony and extensive phone recordings, finding Jeffries possesses sufficient rational understanding. The trial, delayed from an Oct 26 start at Jeffries’ request, will be held in the afternoons to meet his health needs.

Prosecutors allege Jeffries, his romantic partner Matthew Smith, and third defendant James Jacobson operated an international sex-trafficking ring between 2009 and 2015, exploiting men who had worked for or modeled for Abercrombie using drugs, alcohol and coercion. The 16-count indictment identifies fifteen victims but suggests "dozens and dozens" were targeted, with events in New York, the Hamptons and abroad. All three defendants have entered not-guilty pleas; Jeffries remains on a $10 million bond and his lawyer Brian Bieber declined comment on the competency decision.