Ex-Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries has Long Island court hearing to determine mental fitness

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries appeared "confused," had a "shuffling gait" and tremors during a 2023 cognitive assessment that resulted in a diagnosis of dementia, a clinical neuropsychologist testified Tuesday at a pretrial hearing to determine Jeffries' mental fitness to stand trial on charges he sex trafficked victims.

Jacqueline C. Valdes testified for Jeffries' defense that she twice assessed him — in 2023 and earlier this year — and agreed with another doctor's opinion that he had a major neurocognitive disorder.

"There was evidence in 2023 of cognitive impairments ... and he was confused," Valdes said, which included issues with learning, memory, executive functions and problems with "shifting gears."

Valdes also noted he has physical "abnormalities" that she said relate to a "shuffling gait," had difficulty rising from a chair and had tremors.

Jeffries was also "acting out his dreams," Valdes said and was experiencing hallucinations and "some delusional thinking."

He was once found "sitting in the next door neighbor's yard in his underwear," Valdes said.

Jeffries, 81, of West Palm Beach, Florida, attended Tuesday's hearing in federal court in Central Islip. The former CEO, with thick white hair and clad in a suit, sat at the defense table with his lawyers and did not appear to visibly react to the testimony. His adult son sat in the first row of spectators.

Jeffries, who was initially deemed unfit to stand trial, was found to be competent after a monthslong , court-ordered evaluation at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina,  last year. But his lawyers disagreed.

Valdes said there was evidence that Jeffries' condition had begun in 2013, when an MRI showed "mild atrophy," or a shrinking of the brain.

A 2018 brain scan, taken after Jeffries fell in South Africa and experienced a traumatic injury that induced bleeding of the brain, also showed atrophy, Valdes said.

At the time of the fall, doctors had "concerns" about Jeffries' alcohol use, as he was drinking in the hospital, according to medical records, Valdes said.

But later testing showed his liver was functioning normally and he did not appear to have alcohol-related dementia.

In 2025, doctors diagnosed Jeffries with major neurocognitive disorder, or dementia, probable Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementia, Valdes said.

Her testimony comes on the first day of a pretrial hearing to help U.S. District Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury determine whether Jeffries will stand trial later this year.

Jeffries has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of sex trafficking and interstate prostitution.

Prosecutors say Jeffries, his 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 charges echoed sexual misconduct accusations made in a civil case and the media in recent years.

Jeffries left Abercrombie in 2014 after more than two decades at the helm. His partner, Matthew Smith, has also pleaded not guilty and remains free on bond, as has their co-defendant, James Jacobson.

Under direct questioning from Jeffries' defense attorney Brian Bieber, Valdes confirmed Jeffries had told prison staff when he was confined in North Carolina "he hoped to be found incompetent."

Valdes said that was another example of "uninhibited behavior" from Jeffries, also another dementia symptom.

Prosecutor Adam Toporovsky pointed out to Valdes that some of Jeffries' results of cognitive testing improved when she examined him this year from the 2023 results.

But Valdes attributed any improvements to the likelihood his prescribed medication, Seroquel, was working.

The hearing continues Wednesday.

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.