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One-time Abercrombie & Fitch chief executive Mike Jeffries was taped saying to his associate that they'd be finished and in grave danger if he was declared competent to stand trial on sex trafficking charges in the coming months, a federal court in NY has been told.

The taped conversations were among more than 100 recorded calls between the former retail executive and Matthew Smith cited during a lengthy fitness to stand trial hearing on Long Island on Long Island.

Jeffries' attorneys contend that he is battling cognitive decline and the onset of Alzheimer's disease and is unfit to be tried alongside his partner and their purported facilitator in October.

Nevertheless, government lawyers say their health professionals found his health has stabilized and that the calls show he is extremely fixated on being found unfit.

In other recordings, Jeffries states he is wishing for a positive result, labeling being deemed competent as a catastrophe, and tells a physician: you had better rule me unfit, the court heard.

Court Process and Health Opinions

The calls were taped last year while he was being evaluated for four months in a treatment center at a federal prison in North Carolina to determine if he could restore fitness.

The 81-year-old had previously been found mentally incompetent last May but prison officials then declared in December that he was fit for trial subsequent to his evaluation.

Government attorneys informed the court Jeffries often protested prison conditions and was heard describing to Smith how awful jail was, stating: which is why we got to succeed.

The Case

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their purported middleman James Jacobson, 73, were accused with operating a global sex trafficking and prostitution business in October 2024.

They have entered not guilty pleas the charges, which have a potential penalty of life imprisonment.

Their arrests followed an report that revealed the group had been at the centre of a elaborate scheme recruiting young men for sex internationally while Jeffries was the head of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Presiding Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will rule in May about whether Jeffries will face trial after considering the statements of multiple specialists - experts, psychiatrists and medical experts, including facility doctors - who were questioned in proceedings this week.

'Disinhibited' Behavior

A trio of medical witnesses for the defense, maintain that Jeffries is legally unfit due to the after-effects of a traumatic brain injury, probable dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They said under oath that Jeffries demonstrates disinhibited and socially inappropriate behaviour, which is symptomatic of a range of symptoms.

Reported incidents include Jeffries referring to the prosecutor's psychologist a derogatory term, remarking on her hair, telling another expert his clothing was poorly tailored, and describing his partner Smith as a midget, the court heard.

He was also taped in minute detail on about 20 recorded calls talking about his international travel plans for the coming months, despite having been on restricted movement since 2024.

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

Prosecutors suggest this shows his recognition that he would be released if he was ruled unfit and the charges were dismissed.

Conversely, the defense's witnesses have a different view, arguing it instead highlights that Jeffries does not remember his conditions and the severity of the charges.

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

"Rather, his behavior throughout the evaluation... was as if we were having a chat at his home. There was no sign of anxiety."

Conflicting Psychiatric Diagnoses

Testimony indicated there is data that Jeffries' decline began in 2013, when scans showed reduction in volume, which was exacerbated by a fall in 2018.

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

In the wake of the fall, Jeffries suffered a psychotic break, and started seeing things, with one event in 2019 where he was found in his underclothes, incapacitated, in a nearby property.

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

They contend his cognitive abilities were not consistent 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 brighter and more functioning cognitively than probably 95% of the patients that we assess for fitness," stated one doctor.

Jeffries, dressed in a formal wear in the court, was reported to be lighthearted and fairly engaging during interactions in prison, and was intentionally testing the limits, sometimes using informal address.

They diagnosed Jeffries with mild neurocognitive deficits and said his performance on tests may have gotten better since 2023 from low or impaired to average because of sobriety and more consistent treatment during his evaluation.

109 Recorded Conversations Present Questions

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