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One-time A&F top executive Mike Jeffries was recorded saying to his British partner how they'd be screwed and in deep trouble if he was found able to stand trial on human trafficking allegations this autumn, a federal court in NY has been told.

The audio were among in excess of 100 telephone conversations between the ex-fashion boss and Matthew Smith played during a lengthy mental competency hearing on Long Island on Long Island.

Jeffries' legal team contend that he is suffering with cognitive decline and late onset of Alzheimer's disease and is unfit to face trial next to his partner and their alleged facilitator in October.

In contrast, prosecutors argue their health professionals found his health has improved and that the recordings show he is incredibly focused on being found unfit.

In additional tapes, Jeffries is heard saying he is praying for a favorable ruling, describing being found fit as a disaster, and instructs a doctor: you must declare me unfit, the Central Islip court heard.

Court Proceedings and Medical Evidence

The calls were recorded in the past year while he was being held for a period of months in a treatment center at a US prison in North Carolina to assess if he could restore his faculties.

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

Prosecutors told the court Jeffries frequently protested life in jail and was caught on tape telling to Smith how awful incarceration was, adding: which is why we must make this work.

Context

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their alleged intermediary James Jacobson, 73, were charged with running a global sex trafficking and prostitution operation in October 2024.

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

Their being taken into custody were prompted by an exposé that uncovered the group had been at the core of a complex network scouting men for sex internationally while Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

The Honorable Nusrat J. Choudhury will decide in May about whether Jeffries will face trial after considering the testimony of multiple specialists - psychologists, doctors and medical experts, including prison doctors - who were examined in proceedings recently.

'Disinhibited' Conduct

Three defense witnesses, argue that Jeffries is legally unfit due to the residual effects of a brain trauma, likely Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They stated that Jeffries exhibits unfiltered and improper behaviour, which is symptomatic of a set of dementia symptoms.

Instances include Jeffries calling the prosecutor's psychologist a cunning bitch, remarking on her hair, telling another expert his clothing was ill-fitting, and describing his partner Smith as a dwarf, the court heard.

He was also taped in minute detail on about 20 prison calls talking about his international travel plans for the coming months, notwithstanding having been on home confinement since 2024.

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

The prosecution suggest this demonstrates his awareness that he would go free if he was ruled unfit and the indictment were dropped.

Conversely, the defence's witnesses have a different view, stating it instead highlights that Jeffries does not remember his court-ordered limits and the seriousness of the case.

"There wasn't the expected affect that I would anticipate someone to have who is confronting such serious allegations," testified one expert who evaluated Jeffries.

"On the contrary, his behavior during the examination... was similar to we were having a chat at his club. There was no sign of distress."

Opposing Medical Diagnoses

Testimony indicated there is data that Jeffries' mental decline began in 2013, when imaging showed reduction in volume, which was accelerated by a accident in 2018.

Jeffries had been drinking alcohol at the moment of the 2018 event and his records showed he persisted in drinking after being treated, but an expert told the judge he did not think his general drinking had a decisive influence on his state.

In the wake of the fall, Jeffries became psychotic, and started having visions, with one incident in 2019 where he was located in his underclothes, unable to move, in a neighbour's garden.

Experts from a treatment facility stated that Jeffries was competent after evaluating him over several months in custody.

They assert his mental faculties did not match 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 undergone... he still is more capable and more capable mentally than probably 95% of the inmates that we evaluate for fitness," said one neuropsychologist.

Jeffries, wearing a suit and tie in the court, was described as cheerful and rather charismatic during meetings in prison, and was deliberately pushing boundaries, at times using familiar language.

They found Jeffries with mild neurocognitive deficits and indicated his testing scores may have gotten better since 2023 from borderline or deficient to average because of sobriety and better treatment during his stay.

109 Recorded Conversations Raise Concerns

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