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Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was taped informing his British partner that they were finished and in grave danger if he was deemed fit to face trial on human trafficking accusations later this year, a New York federal court has been told.

The audio were included in over 100 phone calls between the one-time CEO and Matthew Smith played during a four-day fitness to stand trial proceeding this week on Long Island.

Jeffries' attorneys argue that he is battling cognitive decline and late onset of Alzheimer's and is not competent to face trial alongside his partner and their purported facilitator in October.

Nevertheless, government lawyers contend their doctors concluded his health has gotten better and that the calls reveal he is incredibly fixated on being declared incompetent.

In other recordings, Jeffries says he is wishing for a good outcome, labeling being found fit as a catastrophe, and tells a doctor: you had better declare me unfit, the Central Islip court learned.

Court Proceedings and Medical Testimony

The recordings were recorded the previous year while he was being held for a period of months in a mental health unit at a US prison in North Carolina to see if he could recover fitness.

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

Prosecutors advised the court Jeffries frequently complained about life in jail and was recorded explaining to Smith how terrible jail was, stating: so we must make this work.

The Case

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their purported intermediary James Jacobson, 73, were indicted with orchestrating a worldwide sex trafficking and commercial sex business in October 2024.

They have entered not guilty pleas the charges, which could result in a potential penalty of life in prison.

Their being taken into custody were prompted by an investigation that revealed the trio had been at the heart of a elaborate scheme sourcing individuals for sex internationally while Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will rule in May about whether Jeffries will stand trial after reviewing the evidence of six experts - experts, doctors and medical experts, including correctional physicians - who were cross-examined in court during the hearing.

'Inappropriate' Conduct

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

They testified that Jeffries exhibits socially inappropriate and improper behavior, which is consistent with a spectrum of cognitive symptoms.

Examples include Jeffries referring to the prosecution's psychologist a cunning bitch, remarking on her hair, informing another expert his clothing was ill-fitting, and describing his partner Smith as a midget, the court heard.

He was also recorded in excruciating detail on about 20 jail conversations discussing his international travel plans for the next few months, despite having been on restricted movement since 2024.

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

Prosecutors suggest this shows his recognition that he would regain his freedom if he was found unfit and the charges were dropped.

Conversely, the defense's witnesses have a different view, saying it instead underscores that Jeffries has forgotten his court-ordered limits and the seriousness of the charges.

"I didn't see the appropriate reaction that I would anticipate someone to have who is confronting such serious allegations," said one forensic psychiatrist who evaluated Jeffries.

"Instead, his demeanor throughout the examination... was as if we were having a chat at his club. There was no sign of alarm."

Opposing Neurological Diagnoses

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

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

After the fall, Jeffries experienced psychosis, and began seeing things, with one event in 2019 where he was discovered in his underclothes, incapacitated, in a nearby property.

Experts from a Federal Medical Center stated that Jeffries was able after assessing him over four 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 examination could be performed.

"Even given the reduction that Mr Jeffries has experienced... he still is sharper and more able cognitively than probably 95% of the individuals that we evaluate for fitness," said one expert.

Jeffries, wearing a business attire in the hearing, was described as lighthearted and rather charismatic during evaluations in prison, and was deliberately being provocative, sometimes using familiar language.

They assessed Jeffries with minor cognitive impairments and suggested his results may have risen since 2023 from borderline or impaired to typical because of stopping drinking and improved treatment during his confinement.

109 Recorded Conversations Prompt Questions

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