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One-time Abercrombie & Fitch chief executive Mike Jeffries was taped informing his British partner how they'd be finished and in grave danger if he was found fit to face trial on human trafficking charges in the coming months, a US district court has learned.

The taped conversations were part of in excess of 100 recorded calls between the ex-fashion boss and Matthew Smith played during a lengthy legal competency session recently on Long Island.

Jeffries' legal team argue that he is coping with cognitive decline and the onset of Alzheimer's disease and is unfit to stand trial next to his partner and their purported middleman in October.

However, government lawyers contend their doctors found his mental state has stabilized and that the recordings reveal he is incredibly fixated on being ruled unfit.

In further audio clips, Jeffries says he is wishing for a favorable ruling, labeling being deemed competent as a catastrophe, and says to a doctor: you had better find me unfit, the court learned.

Legal Process and Medical Testimony

The conversations were taped last year while he was being treated for four months in a psychiatric facility at a correctional institution in North Carolina to determine if he could recover fitness.

The octogenarian had earlier been ruled not competent in May but facility staff then stated in December that he was able for proceedings after his hospital stay.

Prosecutors told the judge Jeffries frequently complained about incarceration and was recorded explaining to Smith how terrible incarceration was, stating: which is why we have to pull this off.

The Case

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

They have denied the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Their arrests followed an report that showed the group had been at the centre of a elaborate scheme sourcing individuals for sex internationally while Jeffries was chief executive of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Presiding Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will rule in May about whether Jeffries will stand trial after reviewing the testimony of multiple specialists - forensic psychologists, specialists and brain specialists, including facility doctors - who were questioned in proceedings during the hearing.

'Disinhibited' Conduct

A trio of defense witnesses, argue that Jeffries is cognitively impaired due to the residual effects of a head injury, likely Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They testified that Jeffries demonstrates unfiltered and improper behavior, which is consistent with a range of dementia symptoms.

Examples are Jeffries referring to the prosecution's expert witness a derogatory term, complimenting her hair, telling another expert his clothing was ill-fitting, and describing his partner Smith as a derogatory term, the court heard.

He was also recorded in excruciating detail on around 20 prison calls talking about his travel itinerary for the near future, even though having been on restricted movement since 2024.

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

The prosecution suggest this demonstrates his awareness that he would go free if he was declared unfit and the case were dismissed.

However, the defence's witnesses counter, arguing it instead highlights that Jeffries has forgotten his legal restrictions and the gravity of the case.

"There wasn't the appropriate reaction that I would anticipate someone to have who is up against such grave allegations," stated one expert who reviewed Jeffries.

"Instead, his behavior throughout the examination... was as if we were having a chat at his home. There was no sign of distress."

Conflicting Medical Assessments

Testimony indicated there is information that Jeffries' mental decline commenced in 2013, when scans showed mild atrophy, which was exacerbated by a fall in 2018.

Jeffries had been drinking alcohol at the time of the 2018 fall and his records showed he persisted in drinking following being hospitalised, but an expert told the judge he did not think his overall drinking had a significant effect on his state.

After the fall, Jeffries became psychotic, and started seeing things, with one event in 2019 where he was discovered in his underwear, unable to move, in a neighbour's garden.

Medical professionals from a Federal Medical Center stated that Jeffries was fit after evaluating him over four months in prison.

They contend his mental faculties did not match Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be conclusively diagnosed until an autopsy could be performed.

"Even given the reduction that Mr Jeffries has suffered... he still is sharper and more functioning intellectually than probably 95% of the inmates that we test for competency," said one expert.

Jeffries, wearing a suit and tie in the court, was described as cheerful and rather engaging during interactions in prison, and was intentionally being provocative, at times using familiar terms.

They found Jeffries with minor cognitive impairments and suggested his results may have risen since 2023 from low or deficient to typical because of sobriety and improved medication management during his confinement.

109 Prison Calls Prompt Issues

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