Lawyer for ex-Abercrombie CEO says he has dementia

(NewsNation) — A lawyer for the ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO charged with sex trafficking and prostitution says the former business leader has dementia and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease that may impact his standing trial.

Attorney Brian H. Bieber, who represents Michael Jeffries, said in court filings that he questioned the former CEO’s “attentiveness, focus, competency, and understanding” and that he doubted his “competency to rationally assist—on a sustained and consistent basis—counsel in connection with the possible factual and legal defenses to the allegations he was facing," reported NBC News.

Bieber said he asked Jefferies to get a medical evaluation by a neuropsychologist, who later found that the ex-CEO “currently suffers from dementia with behavioral disturbance ... Alzheimer’s disease with late onset (probable) ... and Lewy body dementia," according to court papers acquired by NBC.

A competency hearing is scheduled for June.

Jeffries, 80; his partner Matthew Smith, 61; and their employee James Jacobson, 71, were arrested in October on charges of luring men into sex parties, at times under the guise of modeling jobs for Abercrombie.

The three are charged with sex trafficking and interstate prostitution involving at least 15 unnamed accusers.

Authorities said the investigation is ongoing, and they believe there are dozens of victims during a time spanning from 2008 to 2015.

United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace described the system as a “casting couch” model where men hoping to get featured in an Abercrombie ad were then trafficked.

Jeffries has pleaded not guilty to the allegations.

“The timing of Mike Jeffries’s purported health issues is suspicious, to say the least,” Brad Edwards, an attorney for the victims, told USA Today. He said that it appears Jefferies first saw a doctor after consulting with his defense attorney about the sex charges, the outlet reported.

“My clients are following this closely, and we intend to provide information to law enforcement pertinent to this competency issue,” Edwards said. “We will hold everyone accountable for the heinous crimes committed against these many young men."

Last year, Abercrombie & Fitch was sued over allegations Jeffries was operating a sex trafficking ring exploiting young men who hoped to become models for the company and that Abercrombie allegedly turned a blind eye to the abuse.

Jeffries left the company in 2014 as a result of the company’s lagging performance. Jeffries left with a retirement package valued at around $25 million, reported the BBC.

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