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Ex- Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was heard on tape informing his associate how they are screwed and in grave danger if he was found able to stand trial on sex trafficking accusations in the coming months, a New York federal court has heard.

The recordings were among in excess of 100 telephone conversations between the one-time CEO and Matthew Smith referred to during a multi-day mental competency session on Long Island on Long Island.

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

However, the prosecution argue their doctors concluded his mental state has gotten better and that the conversations reveal he is remarkably preoccupied on being ruled not competent.

In further audio clips, Jeffries states he is wishing for a positive result, labeling being deemed competent as a catastrophe, and instructs a medical professional: you must find me unfit, the judge learned.

Court Process and Medical Opinions

The conversations were recorded last year while he was being held for several months in a psychiatric facility at a correctional institution in North Carolina to see if he could restore his faculties.

The octogenarian had earlier been ruled mentally incompetent in May but prison officials then announced in December that he was able for trial subsequent to his evaluation.

Government attorneys informed the judge Jeffries frequently protested life in jail and was recorded telling to Smith how awful incarceration was, stating: which is why we got to succeed.

Context

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their purported intermediary 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 charges, which carry a potential penalty of life imprisonment.

Their arrests came after an investigation that uncovered the group had been at the core of a sophisticated network sourcing men for sex around the world while Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Presiding Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will make a determination in May about whether Jeffries will stand trial after reviewing the statements of six experts - forensic psychologists, specialists and medical experts, including facility doctors - who were examined in the courtroom recently.

'Disinhibited' Behavior

A trio of defense witnesses, maintain that Jeffries is cognitively impaired due to the residual effects of a head injury, suspected a form of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They said under oath that Jeffries exhibits socially inappropriate and off-color conduct, which is part of a set of symptoms.

Instances involve Jeffries referring to the prosecution's expert witness a derogatory term, praising her hair, informing another expert his clothing was poorly tailored, and describing his partner Smith as a derogatory term, according to testimony.

He was also recorded in minute detail on around 20 jail conversations discussing his trips abroad for the coming months, notwithstanding having been on house arrest since 2024.

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

Prosecutors suggest this indicates his recognition that he would go free if he was ruled incompetent and the charges were dismissed.

Conversely, the defence's medical experts counter, stating it instead highlights that Jeffries fails to recall his court-ordered limits and the seriousness of the situation.

"There wasn't the expected emotional response that I would anticipate someone to have who is facing such severe allegations," testified one expert who evaluated Jeffries.

"On the contrary, his manner during the assessment... was almost like we were having a chat at his home. There was no indication of distress."

Opposing Psychiatric Opinions

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

Jeffries had been intoxicated at the time of the 2018 incident and his history showed he kept on drinking after being treated, but an expert told the judge he did not think his overall alcohol consumption had a major impact on his health.

In the wake of the fall, Jeffries became psychotic, and began hallucinating, with one episode in 2019 where he was found in his underwear, unable to move, in a neighbor's yard.

Experts from a Federal Medical Center stated that Jeffries was competent after evaluating him over an extended period in prison.

They contend 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 reduction that Mr Jeffries has undergone... he still is more capable and more able cognitively than probably 95% of the individuals that we assess for fitness," testified one doctor.

Jeffries, wearing a suit and tie in the hearing, was described as jovial and quite personable during evaluations in prison, and was intentionally pushing boundaries, sometimes using disrespectful address.

They diagnosed Jeffries with slight deficits and suggested his testing scores may have risen since 2023 from borderline or impaired to average because of stopping drinking and improved management of prescriptions during his stay.

109 Jail Recordings Raise Concerns

Fundamental to assessing fitness is whether Jeffries understands the allegations against him, their penalties, the {legal proceedings|court process|trial