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Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was heard on tape telling his British partner how they are in serious trouble and in big trouble if he was deemed competent to stand trial on human trafficking allegations later this year, a New York federal court has been told.

The taped conversations were part of in excess of 100 telephone conversations between the ex-fashion boss and Matthew Smith played during a four-day fitness to stand trial hearing on Long Island on Long Island.

Jeffries' lawyers contend that he is battling dementia and late onset of Alzheimer's disease and is unfit to be tried alongside his partner and their accused intermediary in October.

In contrast, prosecutors contend their medical experts determined his health has stabilized and that the calls demonstrate he is incredibly focused on being found unfit.

In further audio clips, Jeffries says he is praying for a favorable ruling, characterizing being ruled able as a calamity, and says to a physician: you must rule me unfit, the judge learned.

Legal Hearings and Psychiatric Opinions

The recordings were recorded last year while he was being treated for four months in a treatment center at a US prison in North Carolina to assess if he could restore fitness.

The octogenarian had earlier been ruled mentally incompetent last May but prison officials then announced in December that he was competent for trial subsequent to his evaluation.

Prosecutors told the court Jeffries often protested life in jail and was caught on tape explaining to Smith how awful incarceration was, stating: that's why we must succeed.

Context

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their accused middleman James Jacobson, 73, were charged with orchestrating a international human trafficking and commercial sex business in October 2024.

They have denied the charges, which have a maximum sentence of a life term.

Their being taken into custody came after an investigation that uncovered the trio had been at the core of a sophisticated operation scouting men for sex globally while Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

The Honorable Nusrat J. Choudhury will decide in May about whether Jeffries will face trial after reviewing the statements of several professionals - experts, doctors and medical experts, including prison doctors - who were cross-examined in proceedings recently.

'Unrestrained' Conduct

Several defence experts, testify that Jeffries is mentally incompetent due to the lingering impact of a head injury, probable dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They stated that Jeffries demonstrates disinhibited and off-color behavior, which is consistent with a range of symptoms.

Instances include Jeffries calling the prosecutor's professional psychologist a derogatory term, praising her hair, telling another expert his clothing was badly made, and referring to his partner Smith as a derogatory term, according to testimony.

He was also recorded in excruciating detail on about 20 recorded calls talking about his international travel plans for the coming months, notwithstanding having been on house arrest since 2024.

"I don't want to go on trips without you," Jeffries was overheard telling Smith from prison.

The prosecution suggest this indicates his awareness that he would be released if he was ruled incompetent and the charges were dismissed.

In contrast, the defence's expert witnesses disagree, arguing it instead points to that Jeffries fails to recall his legal restrictions and the seriousness of the situation.

"I didn't see the normal affect that I would expect someone to have who is facing such serious allegations," said one expert who evaluated Jeffries.

"On the contrary, his manner throughout the assessment... was similar to we were having a chat at his club. There was no sense of distress."

Diverging Medical Assessments

Testimony indicated there is data that Jeffries' cognitive deterioration commenced in 2013, when scans showed brain shrinkage, which was accelerated by a fall in 2018.

Jeffries had been consuming alcohol at the moment of the 2018 event and his medical records showed he kept on drinking subsequent to being hospitalized, but an expert told the judge he did not think his typical drinking had a decisive influence on his state.

Following the fall, Jeffries suffered a psychotic break, and started having visions, with one episode in 2019 where he was found in his underclothes, unable to move, in a neighbor's yard.

Medical professionals from a treatment facility said that Jeffries was competent after evaluating him over several months in custody.

They contend his intellectual functioning did not align with Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be absolutely determined until an post-mortem could be performed.

"Even given the deterioration that Mr Jeffries has experienced... he still is sharper and more functioning cognitively than probably 95% of the patients that we evaluate for competency," testified one neuropsychologist.

Jeffries, dressed in a formal wear in the courtroom, was reported to be cheerful and rather personable during interactions in the facility, and was intentionally pushing boundaries, on occasion using informal language.

They found Jeffries with mild neurocognitive deficits and suggested his results may have improved since 2023 from low or deficient to average because of sobriety and improved treatment during his evaluation.

109 Prison Calls Raise Questions

Fundamental to assessing fitness is whether Jeffries grasps the charges against him, their penalties, the {legal proceedings|court process|trial