🔗 Share this article

Former the fashion retailer chief executive Mike Jeffries was recorded telling his British partner that they are screwed and in grave danger if he was deemed fit to stand trial on trafficking allegations this autumn, a US district court has heard.

The audio were included in more than 100 recorded calls between the former retail executive and Matthew Smith played during a lengthy mental competency session recently on Long Island.

Jeffries' legal team assert that he is suffering with cognitive decline and the onset of the disease and is unfit to face trial next to his partner and their purported intermediary in October.

Nevertheless, government lawyers argue their medical experts concluded his health has gotten better and that the conversations show he is extremely preoccupied on being found incompetent.

In further tapes, Jeffries is heard saying he is praying for a good outcome, labeling being ruled able as a calamity, and says to a physician: you better rule me incompetent, the Central Islip court heard.

Judicial Process and Psychiatric Opinions

The recordings were recorded in the past year while he was being evaluated for four months in a psychiatric facility at a US prison in North Carolina to see if he could regain fitness.

The octogenarian had in the past been deemed mentally incompetent last May but prison officials then announced in December that he was fit for trial following his evaluation.

The prosecution informed the court Jeffries often complained about life in jail and was heard telling to Smith how awful jail was, stating: which is why we have to make this work.

Background

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their purported intermediary James Jacobson, 73, were charged with operating a worldwide trafficking and prostitution enterprise in October 2024.

They have pleaded not guilty the allegations, which could result in a potential penalty of a life term.

Their detentions came after an report that uncovered the trio 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 decide in May about whether Jeffries will face trial after considering the testimony of several professionals - psychologists, specialists and neurologists, including facility doctors - who were questioned in proceedings during the hearing.

'Disinhibited' Behavior

Three defense witnesses, maintain that Jeffries is cognitively impaired due to the residual effects of a head injury, likely dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

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

Instances are Jeffries referring to the prosecution's professional psychologist a insult, remarking on her hair, telling another expert his clothing was ill-fitting, and describing his partner Smith as a derogatory term, they say.

He was also recorded in excruciating detail on about 20 recorded calls discussing his trips abroad for the next few months, even though having been on home confinement since 2024.

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

Prosecutors argue this shows his awareness that he would go free if he was declared incompetent and the charges were dropped.

In contrast, the defence's witnesses disagree, stating it instead points to that Jeffries has forgotten his legal restrictions and the gravity of the charges.

"I didn't see the normal emotional response that I would expect someone to have who is confronting such grave charges," testified one doctor who evaluated Jeffries.

"Instead, his demeanor during the evaluation... was almost like we were having a meal at his club. There was no sense of alarm."

Conflicting Medical Opinions

Reports indicated there is evidence that Jeffries' mental decline began in 2013, when scans showed mild atrophy, which was exacerbated by a accident in 2018.

Jeffries had been intoxicated at the moment of the 2018 event and his records showed he persisted in drinking after being hospitalised, but an expert told the judge he did not think his typical intake had a significant effect on his condition.

After the fall, Jeffries experienced psychosis, and started having visions, with one event in 2019 where he was located in his underclothes, unable to move, in a neighbour's garden.

Medical professionals from a prison hospital testified that Jeffries was able after evaluating him over several months in the facility.

They assert his intellectual functioning did not match Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be absolutely determined until an examination could be performed.

"Even given the deterioration that Mr Jeffries has undergone... he still is sharper and more functioning intellectually than probably 95% of the inmates that we test for fitness," testified one doctor.

Jeffries, wearing a formal wear in the court, was reported to be cheerful and rather charismatic during interactions in prison, and was deliberately pushing boundaries, at times using disrespectful terms.

They found Jeffries with minor cognitive impairments and indicated his results may have risen since 2023 from borderline or deficient to typical because of sobriety and better management of prescriptions during his evaluation.

109 Jail Recordings Present Questions

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