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Former the fashion retailer CEO Mike Jeffries was taped informing his British partner how they are screwed and in big trouble if he was deemed able to face trial on trafficking accusations this autumn, a federal court in NY has learned.

The taped conversations were included in more than 100 telephone conversations between the ex-fashion boss and Matthew Smith referred to during a lengthy legal competency proceeding recently on Long Island.

Jeffries' attorneys assert that he is coping with dementia and late onset of the disease and is not competent to be tried next to his partner and their alleged middleman in October.

In contrast, the prosecution contend their doctors concluded his condition has stabilized and that the calls show he is incredibly focused on being declared incompetent.

In additional audio clips, Jeffries says he is hoping for a good outcome, labeling being deemed competent as a calamity, and instructs a medical professional: you must rule me incompetent, the judge heard.

Court Hearings and Health Testimony

The recordings were taped last year while he was being held for several months in a mental health unit at a US prison in North Carolina to assess if he could restore fitness.

The elderly defendant had earlier been ruled not competent in May but prison officials then announced in December that he was competent for proceedings after his treatment period.

Prosecutors advised the court Jeffries frequently protested life in jail and was heard describing to Smith how terrible incarceration was, remarking: which is why we must succeed.

Background

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

They have denied the charges, which could result in a potential penalty of life imprisonment.

Their arrests followed an report that revealed the group had been at the heart of a elaborate operation sourcing men for sex internationally while Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Presiding Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will make a determination in May about whether Jeffries will face trial after considering the statements of multiple specialists - psychologists, doctors and brain specialists, including facility doctors - who were examined in proceedings recently.

'Inappropriate' Behavior

Several defence experts, maintain that Jeffries is cognitively impaired due to the residual effects of a traumatic brain injury, likely dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They testified that Jeffries exhibits disinhibited and improper behavior, which is part of a set of symptoms.

Instances include Jeffries referring to the prosecutor's professional psychologist a insult, praising her hair, informing another expert his clothing was badly made, and describing his partner Smith as a dwarf, according to testimony.

He was also recorded in excruciating detail on about 20 prison calls talking about his travel itinerary for the next few months, notwithstanding having been on house arrest since 2024.

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

Prosecutors contend this shows his awareness that he would regain his freedom if he was declared incompetent and the charges were dismissed.

In contrast, the defence's expert witnesses counter, saying it instead underscores that Jeffries has forgotten his legal restrictions and the severity of the case.

"There wasn't the appropriate reaction that I would expect someone to have who is facing such grave allegations," testified one doctor who assessed Jeffries.

"On the contrary, his manner throughout the examination... was almost like we were having lunch at his country club. There was no sign of distress."

Opposing Psychiatric Opinions

Reports indicated there is information that Jeffries' mental decline commenced in 2013, when imaging showed reduction in volume, which was accelerated by a incident in 2018.

Jeffries had been drinking alcohol at the moment of the 2018 event and his records showed he kept on drinking after being hospitalized, but an expert told the judge he did not think his overall intake had a decisive influence on his condition.

Following the fall, Jeffries became psychotic, and began hallucinating, with one incident in 2019 where he was located in his underclothes, unable to move, in a neighbor's yard.

Doctors from a prison hospital said that Jeffries was able after evaluating him over several months in custody.

They assert 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 reduction that Mr Jeffries has undergone... he still is brighter and more functioning intellectually than probably 95% of the patients that we assess for competency," stated one doctor.

Jeffries, wearing a business attire in the courtroom, was reported to be lighthearted and fairly charismatic during meetings in the facility, and was deliberately being provocative, sometimes using informal language.

They found Jeffries with mild neurocognitive deficits and indicated his results may have gotten better since 2023 from low or deficient to normal because of stopping drinking and better medication management during his stay.

109 Jail Recordings Raise Questions

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