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Ex- Abercrombie & Fitch top executive Mike Jeffries was recorded saying to his British partner that they'd be in serious trouble and in grave danger if he was found competent to stand trial on sex trafficking accusations later this year, a federal court in NY has heard.

The audio were included in over 100 telephone conversations between the one-time CEO and Matthew Smith played during a four-day mental competency proceeding on Long Island on Long Island.

Jeffries' lawyers assert that he is battling dementia and late onset of the disease and is not competent to stand trial together with his partner and their purported facilitator in October.

Nevertheless, government lawyers contend their health professionals found his mental state has stabilized and that the recordings demonstrate he is remarkably fixated on being declared incompetent.

In further tapes, Jeffries says he is wishing for a positive result, labeling being ruled able as a disaster, and says to a doctor: you better declare me incompetent, the court learned.

Judicial Process and Health Opinions

The conversations were made last year while he was being held for four months in a psychiatric facility at a correctional institution in North Carolina to assess if he could regain his faculties.

The elderly defendant had previously been found legally unfit previously but prison officials then stated in December that he was able for trial subsequent to his hospital stay.

Prosecutors informed the judge Jeffries often complained about incarceration and was caught on tape describing to Smith how horrible incarceration was, remarking: that's why we must make this work.

The Case

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their purported middleman James Jacobson, 73, were accused with running a worldwide sex trafficking and prostitution business in October 2024.

They have pleaded not guilty the allegations, which have a potential penalty of a life term.

Their arrests were prompted by an report that revealed the trio had been at the heart of a complex network scouting young men for sex globally while Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will decide in May about whether Jeffries will be tried after reviewing the testimony of six experts - forensic psychologists, psychiatrists and brain specialists, including prison doctors - who were cross-examined in the courtroom during the hearing.

'Unrestrained' Behaviour

A trio of medical witnesses for the defense, testify that Jeffries is cognitively impaired due to the lingering impact of a head injury, probable Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They testified that Jeffries exhibits socially inappropriate and off-color behaviour, which is part of a set of symptoms.

Examples are Jeffries calling the prosecutor's expert witness a insult, complimenting her hair, informing another expert his clothing was poorly tailored, and describing his partner Smith as a midget, according to testimony.

He was also recorded in great detail on about 20 recorded calls planning his international travel plans for the next few months, despite having been on restricted movement since 2024.

"I can't go on trips without you," Jeffries was heard telling Smith from prison.

Prosecutors suggest this demonstrates his recognition that he would be released if he was ruled incompetent and the indictment were dropped.

However, the defense's medical experts disagree, stating it instead highlights that Jeffries fails to recall his court-ordered limits and the gravity of the case.

"I didn't see the expected reaction that I would expect someone to have who is confronting such severe allegations," stated one forensic psychiatrist who assessed Jeffries.

"Rather, his manner during the evaluation... was as if we were having a chat at his home. There was no sense of anxiety."

Opposing Neurological Opinions

Reports indicated there is information that Jeffries' decline began in 2013, when tests showed brain shrinkage, which was exacerbated by a incident in 2018.

Jeffries had been drinking alcohol at the time of the 2018 event and his history showed he continued drinking following being treated, but an expert told the judge he did not think his general intake had a significant effect on his health.

Following the fall, Jeffries became psychotic, and started hallucinating, with one episode in 2019 where he was found in his underwear, immobile, in a neighbor's yard.

Experts from a Federal Medical Center stated that Jeffries was able after observing him over several months in the facility.

They say his cognitive abilities did not match Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be absolutely determined until an autopsy could be performed.

"Even given the reduction that Mr Jeffries has experienced... he still is sharper and more capable mentally than probably 95% of the inmates that we assess for competency," testified one expert.

Jeffries, wearing a suit and tie in the hearing, was reported to be cheerful and fairly charismatic during interactions in prison, and was intentionally pushing boundaries, on occasion using informal terms.

They found Jeffries with mild neurocognitive deficits and suggested his results may have gotten better since 2023 from low or deficient to average because of stopping drinking and more consistent treatment during his confinement.

109 Prison Calls Prompt Concerns

Fundamental to determining competency is whether Jeffries grasps the allegations against him, their consequences, the {legal proceedings|court process|trial