Michael Jeffries, ex-CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, ruled unfit to stand trial on sex trafficking charges due to dementia diagnosis

A federal judge on Friday ruled that former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries is currently unfit to face sex trafficking and prostitution charges because he’s been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

"The defendant is presently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense," U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury said in a three-page order Friday.

The judge ordered Jeffries, 80, of West Palm Beach, Florida, to "be committed to the custody of the Attorney General for a period not to exceed ...(4) months to determine whether his competency may be restored."

Jeffries' attorney, who has sought to have his client declared mentally unfit to stand trial, could not be reached for comment Friday night.

A spokesman for prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York declined to comment on the judge's ruling.

Jeffries was indicted in October on one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of interstate prostitution, with some crimes occurring in the Hamptons and New York City.

Jeffries has pleaded not guilty and was released from federal custody on a $10 million bond. He remains on house arrest.

Jeffries, who headed the clothing retailer from 1992 to 2014, was indicted along with his 61-year-old romantic partner, Matthew Smith, a British citizen who also lives in West Palm Beach. Smith also pleaded not guilty and was released on a $10 million bond.

Their co-defendant James Jacobson, 71, of Rice Lake, Wisconsin, who prosecutors said acted as a "recruiter" to find men for Jeffries and Smith to have sex with, also pleaded not guilty.

All three defendants operated an international sex trafficking business by fraudulently offering the possibility of modeling for Abercrombie & Fitch at properties in Water Mill, New York City and other locations between December 2008 and March 2015, according to federal prosecutors.

 The victims were forced to engage in sex with the men and were given alcohol, Viagra and muscle relaxers at the parties, prosecutors have said.

By Nicole Fuller

nicole.fuller@newsday.com@NicoleFuller

Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.