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Ex- A&F CEO Mike Jeffries was recorded informing his British partner how they'd be in serious trouble and in grave danger if he was deemed competent to face trial on trafficking allegations in the coming months, a federal court in NY has heard.

The audio were part of over 100 recorded calls between the former retail executive and Matthew Smith referred to during a four-day legal competency hearing this week on Long Island.

Jeffries' attorneys assert that he is battling dementia and the onset of Alzheimer's disease and is unfit to be tried alongside his partner and their alleged middleman in October.

In contrast, government lawyers argue their doctors concluded his mental state has gotten better and that the recordings demonstrate he is incredibly focused on being declared not competent.

In other tapes, Jeffries is heard saying he is wishing for a favorable ruling, characterizing being deemed competent as a catastrophe, and tells a medical professional: you must declare me incompetent, the judge learned.

Court Hearings and Psychiatric Testimony

The conversations were recorded the previous year while he was being held for four months in a psychiatric facility at a federal prison in North Carolina to determine if he could restore his faculties.

The octogenarian had earlier been ruled not competent last May but correctional authorities then stated in December that he was competent for trial following his hospital stay.

Government attorneys advised the court Jeffries often protested prison conditions and was recorded explaining to Smith how terrible jail was, remarking: which is why we got to succeed.

Context

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their purported go-between James Jacobson, 73, were indicted with orchestrating a international human trafficking and prostitution business in October 2024.

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

Their detentions followed an exposé that revealed the group had been at the heart of a complex network scouting individuals for sex internationally 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 evidence of several professionals - experts, specialists and neurologists, including prison doctors - who were questioned in the courtroom this week.

'Unrestrained' Behavior

A trio of defence experts, maintain that Jeffries is legally unfit due to the residual effects of a head injury, probable a form of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They stated that Jeffries demonstrates socially inappropriate and off-color behavior, which is symptomatic of a set of dementia symptoms.

Reported incidents involve Jeffries referring to the prosecution's expert witness a insult, praising her hair, telling another expert his clothing was poorly tailored, and referring to his partner Smith as a dwarf, the court heard.

He was also recorded in excruciating detail on around 20 jail conversations discussing his trips abroad for the next few months, even though having been on home confinement since 2024.

"I wouldn't want to go on trips without you," Jeffries was heard telling Smith from incarceration.

The prosecution suggest this demonstrates his understanding that he would regain his freedom if he was declared unfit and the charges were dismissed.

In contrast, the defense's witnesses counter, saying it instead highlights that Jeffries fails to recall his court-ordered limits and the seriousness of the charges.

"He lacked the appropriate reaction that I would anticipate someone to have who is up against such grave charges," stated one doctor who assessed Jeffries.

"Instead, his behavior throughout the evaluation... was similar to we were having a chat at his home. There was no sense of anxiety."

Diverging Psychiatric Assessments

Reports indicated there is data that Jeffries' cognitive deterioration started in 2013, when tests showed reduction in volume, which was accelerated by a incident in 2018.

Jeffries had been intoxicated at the moment of the 2018 incident and his medical records showed he persisted in drinking after being hospitalised, but an expert told the judge he did not think his overall alcohol consumption had a decisive influence on his condition.

In the wake of the fall, Jeffries suffered a psychotic break, and began seeing things, with one event in 2019 where he was located in his underwear, unable to move, in a nearby property.

Medical professionals from a treatment facility testified that Jeffries was competent after assessing him over four months in prison.

They assert his mental faculties did not align with Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be absolutely determined until an examination could be performed.

"Even given the declines that Mr Jeffries has experienced... he still is sharper and more functioning cognitively than probably 95% of the inmates that we test for fitness," stated one neuropsychologist.

Jeffries, wearing a formal wear in the hearing, was reported to be cheerful and fairly personable during interactions in the facility, and was purposely being provocative, on occasion using informal terms.

They found Jeffries with slight deficits and said his testing scores may have improved since 2023 from low or impaired to typical because of abstinence from alcohol and improved treatment during his confinement.

109 Recorded Conversations Raise Concerns

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