"In May, U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury ordered the 81-year-old to be hospitalized, finding he was unable to understand the case against him, in which he's charged with running a sex trafficking ring in the Hamptons along with his romantic partner, Matthew Smith, and a third defendant, James Jacobson. But after treatment at Federal Medical Center Butner, Jeffries' competency was restored, the facility's acting warden Blake Lott said in a letter to the court made public Wednesday."
"Mr. Jeffries is now competent to stand trial, Lott wrote, attaching a certificate of restoration of competency to stand trial. Brian H. Bieber of the Florida-based firm GrayRobinson represents Jeffries and has argued that his client's cognitive issues, stemming from Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia and a traumatic brain injury, are progressive and cannot be cured. At a hearing Thursday, Choudhury indicated she would hold a competency hearing next year, with both parties presenting expert testimony."
Michael Jeffries faces federal sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges accusing him of running a sex trafficking ring in the Hamptons alongside Matthew Smith and James Jacobson. In May, U.S. District Judge Nusrat Choudhury ordered the 81-year-old hospitalized after finding he was unable to understand the case against him. After treatment at Federal Medical Center Butner, BOP medical staff restored his competency and the facility's acting warden attached a certificate of restoration to a court letter. Defense counsel Brian H. Bieber contends Jeffries' Alzheimer's, Lewy body dementia and traumatic brain injury are progressive and incurable. A public competency hearing likely in March will determine fitness; a trial is scheduled for October 26, 2026, contingent on fitness.
Read at www.amny.com
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