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Ex- the fashion retailer chief executive Mike Jeffries was heard on tape informing his associate how they were screwed and in deep trouble if he was found fit to stand trial on human trafficking charges this autumn, a US district court has heard.

The recordings were included in in excess of 100 phone calls between the former retail executive and Matthew Smith played during a four-day legal competency proceeding on Long Island on Long Island.

Jeffries' lawyers argue that he is suffering with dementia and the onset of the disease and is not competent to stand trial alongside his partner and their alleged middleman in October.

In contrast, prosecutors say their health professionals found his mental state has improved and that the calls demonstrate he is extremely focused on being ruled not competent.

In additional tapes, Jeffries is heard saying he is wishing for a good outcome, characterizing being found fit as a calamity, and instructs a medical professional: you must declare me incompetent, the Central Islip court was told.

Judicial Proceedings and Health Opinions

The conversations were recorded in the past year while he was being treated for a period of months in a psychiatric facility at a US prison in North Carolina to see if he could recover competency.

The octogenarian had earlier been ruled mentally incompetent last May but facility staff then declared in December that he was competent for trial subsequent to his treatment period.

Government attorneys informed the court Jeffries often protested life in jail and was caught on tape explaining to Smith how awful prison was, adding: which is why we got to make this work.

Context

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their purported go-between James Jacobson, 73, were accused with orchestrating a worldwide human trafficking and prostitution business in October 2024.

They have entered not guilty pleas the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of a life term.

Their being taken into custody followed an investigation that uncovered the three had been at the heart of a sophisticated network recruiting young men for sex around the world while Jeffries was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will rule in May about whether Jeffries will face trial after reviewing the statements of six experts - experts, specialists and brain specialists, including prison doctors - who were examined in the courtroom recently.

'Inappropriate' Conduct

Several medical witnesses for the defense, maintain that Jeffries is legally unfit due to the lingering impact of a traumatic brain injury, probable Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They testified that Jeffries demonstrates unfiltered and improper behavior, which is symptomatic of a set of symptoms.

Reported incidents involve Jeffries referring to the prosecution's expert witness a derogatory term, remarking on her hair, informing another expert his clothing was ill-fitting, and describing his partner Smith as a dwarf, according to testimony.

He was also taped in excruciating detail on about 20 recorded calls discussing his trips abroad for the near future, notwithstanding having been on house arrest since 2024.

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

The prosecution suggest this demonstrates his awareness that he would go free if he was found incompetent and the indictment were dropped.

In contrast, the defense's witnesses have a different view, stating it instead points to that Jeffries fails to recall his court-ordered limits and the seriousness of the case.

"There wasn't the appropriate reaction that I would anticipate someone to have who is up against such severe allegations," testified one forensic psychiatrist who assessed Jeffries.

"On the contrary, his manner during the assessment... was similar to we were having a chat at his country club. There was no indication of anxiety."

Diverging Medical Assessments

Testimony indicated there is data that Jeffries' decline began in 2013, when scans showed brain shrinkage, which was exacerbated by a incident in 2018.

Jeffries had been intoxicated at the time of the 2018 event and his history showed he persisted in drinking subsequent to being hospitalised, but an expert told the judge he did not think his general intake had a major impact on his health.

After the fall, Jeffries suffered a psychotic break, and started hallucinating, with one episode in 2019 where he was discovered in his underclothes, immobile, in a neighbour's garden.

Medical professionals from a Federal Medical Center said that Jeffries was able after assessing him over an extended period in prison.

They assert his mental faculties were not consistent with Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be conclusively diagnosed until an autopsy could be performed.

"Even given the declines that Mr Jeffries has experienced... he still is more capable and more able intellectually than probably 95% of the patients that we evaluate for fitness," testified one neuropsychologist.

Jeffries, wearing a business attire in the court, was described as cheerful and fairly personable during evaluations in the facility, and was purposely being provocative, sometimes using familiar address.

They found Jeffries with slight deficits and indicated his testing scores may have risen since 2023 from low or deficient to average because of sobriety and better management of prescriptions during his evaluation.

109 Prison Calls Raise Questions

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