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Ex- Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was taped telling his British partner how they'd be in serious trouble and in grave danger if he was declared competent to go to trial on sex trafficking accusations in the coming months, a federal court in NY has heard.

The audio were part of more than 100 telephone conversations between the ex-fashion boss and Matthew Smith referred to during a lengthy mental competency session recently on Long Island.

Jeffries' attorneys contend that he is suffering with dementia and late onset of Alzheimer's and is unfit to stand trial alongside his partner and their alleged intermediary in October.

In contrast, the prosecution contend their health professionals found his health has gotten better and that the calls show he is remarkably fixated on being ruled not competent.

In further tapes, Jeffries states he is praying for a favorable ruling, labeling being deemed competent as a disaster, and tells a doctor: you must find me incompetent, the Central Islip court was told.

Court Process and Medical Testimony

The recordings were recorded the previous year while he was being held for several months in a treatment center at a US prison in North Carolina to assess if he could regain fitness.

The octogenarian had in the past been deemed not competent in May but facility staff then declared in December that he was competent for trial after his evaluation.

Prosecutors informed the court Jeffries often complained about incarceration and was recorded explaining to Smith how awful prison was, remarking: which is why we got to pull this off.

The Case

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

They have entered not guilty pleas the accusations, which have a potential penalty of life in prison.

Their detentions were prompted by an investigation that uncovered the trio had been at the core of a elaborate network recruiting men for sex globally while Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Presiding Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will decide in May about whether Jeffries will stand trial after considering the testimony of six experts - forensic psychologists, doctors and medical experts, including facility doctors - who were cross-examined in the courtroom during the hearing.

'Unrestrained' Behavior

Three medical witnesses for the defense, argue that Jeffries is mentally incompetent due to the after-effects of a brain trauma, likely dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They stated that Jeffries exhibits socially inappropriate and improper conduct, which is part of a set of dementia symptoms.

Reported incidents include Jeffries referring to the prosecution's psychologist a insult, praising her hair, informing another expert his clothing was poorly tailored, and referring to his partner Smith as a derogatory term, they say.

He was also taped in great detail on about 20 prison calls discussing his international travel plans for the near future, despite having been on home confinement since 2024.

"I don't want to go on trips without you," Jeffries was recorded saying to Smith from jail.

The prosecution contend this demonstrates his recognition that he would be released if he was ruled incompetent and the case were dismissed.

Conversely, the defence's witnesses counter, stating it instead underscores that Jeffries does not remember his legal restrictions and the seriousness of the case.

"I didn't see the normal affect that I would anticipate someone to have who is confronting such severe charges," stated one doctor who assessed Jeffries.

"Instead, his manner during the examination... was almost like we were having lunch at his country club. There was no sign of anxiety."

Conflicting Psychiatric Diagnoses

Evidence indicated there is information that Jeffries' mental decline began in 2013, when scans showed reduction in volume, which was worsened by a accident in 2018.

Jeffries had been intoxicated at the moment of the 2018 fall and his medical records showed he kept on drinking subsequent to being hospitalised, but an expert told the judge he did not think his general drinking had a major impact on his condition.

After the fall, Jeffries became psychotic, and began having visions, with one incident in 2019 where he was found in his underclothes, unable to move, in a nearby property.

Doctors from a treatment facility said that Jeffries was competent after assessing him over four months in the facility.

They say his intellectual functioning were not consistent with Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be definitively confirmed until an autopsy could be performed.

"Even given the reduction that Mr Jeffries has undergone... he still is brighter and more capable intellectually than probably 95% of the inmates that we test for fitness," testified one doctor.

Jeffries, dressed in a formal wear in the court, was described as lighthearted and quite charismatic during interactions in the facility, and was intentionally being provocative, at times using informal terms.

They found Jeffries with slight deficits and indicated his performance on tests may have improved since 2023 from low or deficient to typical because of sobriety and improved treatment during his evaluation.

109 Jail Recordings Raise Concerns

Central to establishing fitness is whether Jeffries understands the charges against him, their implications, the {legal proceedings|court process|trial