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Ex- Abercrombie & Fitch chief executive Mike Jeffries was heard on tape telling his associate that they'd be screwed and in grave danger if he was found competent to stand trial on human trafficking allegations in the coming months, a US district court has been told.

The audio were included in over 100 telephone conversations between the one-time CEO and Matthew Smith referred to during a lengthy mental competency session recently on Long Island.

Jeffries' attorneys argue that he is suffering with dementia and the onset of the disease and is unfit to face trial alongside his partner and their purported intermediary in October.

However, government lawyers contend their doctors found his condition has gotten better and that the recordings demonstrate he is incredibly focused on being ruled incompetent.

In additional tapes, Jeffries is heard saying he is praying for a positive result, characterizing being deemed competent as a calamity, and tells a medical professional: you better find me unfit, the Central Islip court learned.

Court Process and Medical Testimony

The conversations were taped last year while he was being evaluated for a period of months in a treatment center at a correctional institution in North Carolina to determine if he could regain competency.

The elderly defendant had in the past been deemed not competent in May but correctional authorities then declared in December that he was competent for trial subsequent to his treatment period.

Government attorneys advised the judge Jeffries frequently griped about life in jail and was heard describing to Smith how awful prison was, stating: so we got to pull this off.

Context

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their alleged middleman James Jacobson, 73, were charged with running a international trafficking and prostitution enterprise in October 2024.

They have pleaded not guilty the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of a life term.

Their arrests followed an investigation that revealed the group had been at the core of a sophisticated operation sourcing men for sex internationally while Jeffries was chief executive of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will make a determination in May about whether Jeffries will be tried after reviewing the testimony of multiple specialists - experts, specialists and neurologists, including prison doctors - who were questioned in proceedings during the hearing.

'Unrestrained' Conduct

A trio of defense witnesses, argue that Jeffries is cognitively impaired due to the residual effects of a brain trauma, suspected dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They testified that Jeffries exhibits unfiltered and improper conduct, which is symptomatic of a range of symptoms.

Examples are Jeffries calling the prosecution's professional psychologist a insult, praising her hair, informing another expert his clothing was ill-fitting, and describing his partner Smith as a midget, according to testimony.

He was also heard in great detail on around 20 jail conversations talking about his trips abroad for the near future, notwithstanding having been on house arrest since 2024.

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

Prosecutors argue this indicates his recognition that he would regain his freedom if he was found incompetent and the case were dismissed.

Conversely, the defense's witnesses counter, arguing it instead points to that Jeffries does not remember his conditions and the gravity of the case.

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

"Instead, his demeanor during the assessment... was as if we were having a chat at his home. There was no sense of distress."

Diverging Psychiatric Opinions

Reports indicated there is data that Jeffries' mental decline started in 2013, when imaging showed brain shrinkage, which was accelerated by a fall in 2018.

Jeffries had been consuming alcohol at the time of the 2018 incident and his records showed he persisted in drinking subsequent to being treated, but an expert told the judge he did not think his general alcohol consumption had a significant effect on his condition.

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

Experts from a treatment facility said that Jeffries was able after evaluating him over several months 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 post-mortem could be performed.

"Even given the deterioration that Mr Jeffries has experienced... he still is sharper and more able mentally than probably 95% of the individuals that we evaluate for competency," stated one neuropsychologist.

Jeffries, dressed in a suit and tie in the courtroom, was reported to be cheerful and rather charismatic during meetings in the facility, and was deliberately pushing boundaries, sometimes using informal terms.

They diagnosed Jeffries with minor cognitive impairments and said his performance on tests may have improved since 2023 from borderline or impaired to typical because of abstinence from alcohol and improved medication management during his stay.

109 Prison Calls Raise Concerns

Key to assessing competency is whether Jeffries comprehends the charges against him, their implications, the {legal proceedings|court process|trial