Former Abercrombie CEO Mentally Fit for Sex-Trafficking Trial, Judge Rules

{"heading_1":"Jeffries' Mental Competency Ruling","paragraph_1":"US district court judge Nusrat Choudhury ruled that former Abercrombie CEO Michael Jeffries is mentally competent to stand trial for sex trafficking charges after being hospitalized for months for dementia and Alzheimer's symptoms.","paragraph_2":"Jeffries, who is 82 and free on bond, is scheduled to be tried in late October alongside two co-defendants: his partner Matthew Smith and staffer James Jacobson. The pretrial hearing was scheduled for Thursday.","paragraph_3":"Jeffries' lawyers had argued that he required around-the-clock care to deal with the effects of Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, and a traumatic brain injury. They had medical experts testify in court that Jeffries's cognitive issues were 'progressive and incurable' and that he would not 'regain his competency'.","paragraph_4":"Choudhury ordered Jeffries to be hospitalized to see if his mental condition would improve. After spending about four months in Butner, federal prison officials in December deemed Jeffries mentally fit to stand trial.","paragraph_5":"Jeffries left Abercrombie & Fitch in 2014 after more than two decades. He's credited with transforming the New York retailer, originally founded to sell wilderness gear, into a mainstay of teen mall culture in the early 2000s with its preppy youth aesthetic and sexy marketing.","paragraph_6":"The criminal case echoes sexual misconduct accusations made in a civil case and in the media in recent years. Prosecutors say the three used the promise of modeling jobs to lure men to drug-fueled sex parties in New York City, the Hamptons, and other locations."}