Abercrombie & Fitch Sex Creep Has Dementia and Late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease, His Lawyers Claim
His lawyers say Jeffries has dementia.
Dec. 27 2024, Published 1:48 p.m. ET
The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch is allegedly trying a new tactic to fight sex trafficking charges, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Lawyers representing Mike Jeffries claim the 80-year-old has dementia and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease - and now a hearing on his competency has been scheduled for June.
Jeffries was arrested in October and accused of sexually exploiting male models.
Jeffries has been accused of exploiting young male models at extravagant "sex parties" – to which he has pleaded "not guilty."
His attorney, Brian H. Bieber, noted in new court documents he had been growing concerned over the businessman's attentiveness, competency, and focus.
The filing states: "The Michael Jeffries who presented himself did not even come close to resembling a master’s degree-educated individual, who was just nine years earlier, the chief executive officer of a publicly traded company."
Soon, Jeffries was seeing a neuropsychologist, who concluded that "testing yielded diagnostic impressions that Mr. Jeffries currently suffers from dementia with behavioral disturbance ... Alzheimer’s disease with late onset (probable) ... and Lewy body dementia."
He has denied any wrongdoing.
However, an attorney representing the male models has serious reservations about the claim.
Brad Edwards said: "The timing of Mike Jeffries’s purported health issues is suspicious, to say the least," revealing Jeffries only saw a doctor in the first place after discussing strategy with his lawyers about the sex charges."
Edwards also told USA Today: "My clients are following this closely, and we intend to provide information to law enforcement pertinent to this competency issue.
"We will hold everyone accountable for the heinous crimes committed against these many young men."
Prosecutors claim that some victims were led to believe they’d receive modeling opportunities at Abercrombie if they went along with Jeffries' sexual demands.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Jeffries was arrested alongside his partner, Matt Smith, and a third man, Jim Jacobson, on Tuesday, October 22.
The fashion mogul's arrest came one year after he was accused of exploiting male models in a bombshell civil lawsuit.
According to the indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York, Jeffries and his partner allegedly had sex with aspiring male models between December 2008 and March 2015.
Jacobson was accused of traveling "throughout the United States and internationally" with the intent of recruiting male models.
Jeffries has a competency hearing in June.
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Prosecutors alleged part of Jacobson's recruiting process required models to perform sex acts on him, which were described as a "tryout" prior to the models sleeping with Jeffries and Smith.
Additionally, the defendants were accused of orchestrating a disturbed "referral system" in which models who helped recruit other men to meet with Jacobson were rewarded for doing so.
The indictment claimed eager young models were led to believe they would be given modeling opportunities with Abercrombie if they complied with the defendants' demands. Jeffries allegedly threatened to end their careers if they refused.
Jeffries, Jacobson, and Smith allegedly discussed "modeling opportunities that did not exist" after they handed out "itineraries for the sex events that did not refer to commercial sex."
At the parties, prosecutors claimed the trio hired security and required the models to "wear costumes" and "use sex toys to prepare for particular sexual acts."
In some instances, alleged victims were said to be given "prescription-grade erection-inducing substance for the purpose of causing the men to engage in sex acts in which they were otherwise physically incapable or unwilling".
Alleged victims were reportedly given muscle relaxers known as "poppers", as well as being forced to consume alcohol and Viagra.
Their alleged sex parties were said to last until "Jeffries and Smith decided they were over."
