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Federal prison officials say former ceo abercrombie and fox fur Fit to stand trial on federal sex trafficking charges after being hospitalized due to Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia and traumatic brain injury.
Michael Jeffries was ordered hospitalized in May. But in a letter filed in federal court new york On Wednesday, Blake Lott, acting warden of the Federal Medical Center in Berner, said, North Carolina “He is now competent to stand trial,” the 81-year-old said.
Lott did not provide further details in the letter but said the center has provided a report to the judge handling the case. According to previous filings in the case, Jeffries was discharged from FMC-Buttner on Nov. 21.
Jeffries’ attorney Brian Bieber responded that other doctors had previously found his client incapable of moving.
“A doctor from Bureau of Prisons There is a differing opinion,” he said in an email Wednesday. “We look forward to the judge hearing the medical evidence and deciding on the appropriate action to take moving forward.”
The letter comes as prosecutors and Jeffries’ attorneys are expected to speak by phone with U.S. District Court Judge Nusrat Chaudhary on the status of the case on Thursday.
Jeffries pleaded not guilty last year to federal charges of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution.
His lawyers had argued that the former executive required round-the-clock care and was unable to understand the nature and consequences of the case against him or to properly assist in his defence.
He said at least four medical professionals had concluded that Jeffries’ cognitive issues were “progressive and incurable” and that he “will not regain his competency and may not be restored to competency in the future.”
Jeffries’ attorneys and prosecutors had requested that he be hospitalized while in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons so he could receive treatment so his criminal case could proceed.
Chaudhary agreed and ordered him to be kept in hospital for four months. Earlier, Jefferies had been free on $10 million bond.
Prosecutors say Jeffries, her romantic partner and a third man used the promise of modeling jobs to lure men to drug-fueled sex parties in New York City, the Hamptons and other locations. The allegations echo allegations of sexual misconduct made in recent years in a civil case and in the media.
Jeffries left Abercrombie in 2014 after more than two decades at the helm. His partner, Matthew Smith, has also pleaded not guilty and, like his co-defendant, James Jacobson, is out on bond.
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