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Ex- A&F CEO Mike Jeffries was recorded informing his British partner that they were screwed and in big trouble if he was declared competent to go to trial on trafficking accusations this autumn, a US district court has heard.

The audio were among in excess of 100 phone calls between the one-time CEO and Matthew Smith played during a multi-day fitness to stand trial session on Long Island on Long Island.

Jeffries' legal team assert that he is coping with cognitive decline and the onset of the disease and is incapable to stand trial alongside his partner and their accused middleman in October.

Nevertheless, prosecutors say their health professionals found his condition has stabilized and that the conversations show he is remarkably focused on being found unfit.

In further audio clips, Jeffries states he is praying for a positive result, labeling being deemed competent as a disaster, and says to a medical professional: you must declare me unfit, the court learned.

Court Hearings and Psychiatric Evidence

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

The 81-year-old had earlier been ruled legally unfit in May but facility staff then declared in December that he was competent for proceedings after his treatment period.

Government attorneys advised the court Jeffries frequently griped about life in jail and was recorded telling to Smith how awful incarceration was, adding: that's why we must make this work.

The Case

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

They have entered not guilty pleas the allegations, which have a potential penalty of a life term.

Their detentions were prompted by an exposé that showed the group had been at the centre of a sophisticated scheme scouting men for sex around the world while Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

The Honorable Nusrat J. Choudhury will rule in May about whether Jeffries will stand trial after considering the statements of multiple specialists - experts, doctors and medical experts, including prison doctors - who were questioned in court recently.

'Unrestrained' Behaviour

Several defence experts, argue that Jeffries is legally unfit due to the lingering impact of a traumatic brain injury, probable dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They stated that Jeffries demonstrates unfiltered and improper conduct, which is symptomatic of a spectrum of dementia symptoms.

Instances include Jeffries referring to the prosecution's expert witness a insult, remarking on her hair, informing another expert his clothing was poorly tailored, and referring to his partner Smith as a midget, they say.

He was also heard in great detail on about 20 recorded calls planning his international travel plans for the next few months, even though having been on home confinement since 2024.

"I can't go on trips without you," Jeffries was heard telling Smith from jail.

Prosecutors suggest this demonstrates his recognition that he would be released if he was declared unfit and the indictment were dismissed.

However, the defence's witnesses disagree, saying it instead highlights that Jeffries has forgotten his court-ordered limits and the severity of the case.

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

"On the contrary, his manner during the examination... was almost like we were having a meal at his club. There was no indication of distress."

Diverging Psychiatric Assessments

Testimony indicated there is information that Jeffries' decline commenced in 2013, when scans showed reduction in volume, which was worsened by a accident in 2018.

Jeffries had been consuming alcohol at the time of the 2018 incident and his history showed he kept on drinking subsequent to being hospitalised, but an expert told the judge he did not think his typical intake had a major impact on his health.

Following the fall, Jeffries suffered a psychotic break, and began having visions, with one episode in 2019 where he was found in his underwear, unable to move, in a neighbor's yard.

Experts from a prison hospital testified that Jeffries was able after evaluating him over four months in custody.

They assert his cognitive abilities did not align with Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be definitively confirmed until an examination could be performed.

"Even given the reduction that Mr Jeffries has undergone... he still is brighter and more capable intellectually than probably 95% of the patients that we evaluate for competency," stated one neuropsychologist.

Jeffries, dressed in a suit and tie in the hearing, was reported to be jovial and rather charismatic during interactions in the facility, and was intentionally being provocative, on occasion using disrespectful address.

They assessed Jeffries with mild neurocognitive deficits and said his testing scores may have gotten better since 2023 from low or impaired to normal because of stopping drinking and better treatment during his stay.

109 Jail Recordings Raise Concerns

Central to establishing competency is whether Jeffries grasps the allegations against him, their consequences, the {legal proceedings|court process|trial