Prison Phone Call Recordings Prompt Doubts About Former Abercrombie Boss' Ability for Trial

Ex- the fashion retailer CEO Mike Jeffries was taped informing his UK-based partner how they'd be screwed and in grave danger if he was declared fit to face trial on trafficking charges this autumn, a federal court in NY has heard.

The taped conversations were included in more than 100 telephone conversations between the former retail executive and Matthew Smith referred to during a lengthy fitness to stand trial hearing recently on Long Island.

Jeffries' legal team argue that he is coping with dementia and late onset of the disease and is unfit to face trial next to his partner and their purported intermediary in October.

However, the prosecution argue their doctors concluded his mental state has improved and that the recordings demonstrate he is remarkably preoccupied on being declared not competent.

In additional audio clips, Jeffries is heard saying he is hoping for a positive result, characterizing being ruled able as a calamity, and instructs a medical professional: you must declare me incompetent, the Central Islip court learned.

Legal Proceedings and Psychiatric Testimony

The conversations were made last year while he was being held for a period of months in a mental health unit at a correctional institution in North Carolina to see if he could regain his faculties.

The 81-year-old had in the past been deemed not competent previously but prison officials then stated in December that he was fit for proceedings subsequent to his hospital stay.

Government attorneys informed the judge Jeffries repeatedly protested incarceration and was heard explaining to Smith how horrible jail was, remarking: which is why we have to succeed.

The Case

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their alleged intermediary James Jacobson, 73, were indicted with running a worldwide human trafficking and commercial sex operation in October 2024.

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

Their detentions were prompted by an exposé that showed the trio had been at the heart of a elaborate scheme recruiting men for sex internationally while Jeffries was the head of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Presiding Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will rule in May about whether Jeffries will be tried after considering the statements of several professionals - forensic psychologists, doctors and neurologists, including prison doctors - who were questioned in proceedings during the hearing.

'Unrestrained' Behaviour

Three medical witnesses for the defense, argue that Jeffries is legally unfit due to the residual effects of a brain trauma, suspected a form of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They testified that Jeffries exhibits unfiltered and improper behaviour, which is symptomatic of a spectrum of dementia symptoms.

Instances include Jeffries calling the prosecution's expert witness a cunning bitch, remarking on her hair, informing another expert his clothing was badly made, and describing his partner Smith as a dwarf, the court heard.

He was also taped in great detail on around 20 recorded calls discussing his travel itinerary for the near future, despite having been on house arrest since 2024.

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

Prosecutors suggest this shows his recognition that he would be released if he was ruled unfit and the indictment were dropped.

However, the defense's expert witnesses disagree, arguing it instead points to that Jeffries has forgotten his court-ordered limits and the severity of the case.

"He lacked the appropriate affect that I would expect someone to have who is up against such serious allegations," stated one expert who assessed Jeffries.

"Rather, his behavior during the evaluation... was similar to we were having a chat at his club. There was no indication of distress."

Diverging Medical Diagnoses

Testimony indicated there is data that Jeffries' decline commenced in 2013, when imaging showed brain shrinkage, which was accelerated by a fall in 2018.

Jeffries had been consuming alcohol at the time of the 2018 incident and his medical records showed he kept on drinking subsequent to being treated, but an expert told the judge he did not think his overall alcohol consumption had a significant effect on his health.

After the fall, Jeffries became psychotic, and started having visions, with one incident in 2019 where he was found in his underclothes, incapacitated, in a neighbour's garden.

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

They contend his cognitive abilities did not align with Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be conclusively diagnosed until an post-mortem could be performed.

"Even given the reduction that Mr Jeffries has experienced... he still is brighter and more capable mentally than probably 95% of the inmates that we evaluate for fitness," stated one neuropsychologist.

Jeffries, wearing a formal wear in the court, was reported to be lighthearted and fairly personable during interactions in the facility, and was purposely being provocative, on occasion using informal language.

They diagnosed Jeffries with slight deficits and indicated his performance on tests may have risen since 2023 from low or deficient to typical because of abstinence from alcohol and improved management of prescriptions during his confinement.

109 Jail Recordings Raise Concerns

Fundamental to assessing competency is whether Jeffries comprehends the allegations against him, their penalties, the {legal proceedings|court process|trial