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Ex- the fashion retailer top executive Mike Jeffries was recorded informing his UK-based partner how they were screwed and in grave danger if he was found able to face trial on human trafficking accusations in the coming months, a US district court has been told.

The recordings were among more than 100 recorded calls between the former retail executive and Matthew Smith played during a multi-day mental competency proceeding recently on Long Island.

Jeffries' attorneys assert that he is battling dementia and late onset of Alzheimer's disease and is incapable to be tried together with his partner and their alleged facilitator in October.

Nevertheless, government lawyers argue their doctors found his condition has improved and that the calls reveal he is incredibly preoccupied on being ruled unfit.

In other tapes, Jeffries says he is wishing for a positive result, labeling being found fit as a disaster, and says to a physician: you must declare me unfit, the court heard.

Judicial Hearings and Medical Testimony

The recordings were made the previous year while he was being evaluated for a period of months in a psychiatric facility at a correctional institution in North Carolina to assess if he could restore competency.

The 81-year-old had earlier been ruled legally unfit last May but prison officials then declared in December that he was able for proceedings after his treatment period.

Prosecutors informed the court Jeffries frequently griped about life in jail and was heard describing to Smith how terrible prison was, stating: so we must pull this off.

Context

Jeffries, his partner Smith, 62, and their accused middleman James Jacobson, 73, were accused with orchestrating a worldwide trafficking and prostitution operation in October 2024.

They have pleaded not guilty the charges, which have a potential penalty of a life term.

Their arrests were prompted by an report that revealed the three had been at the centre of a elaborate network recruiting individuals for sex around the world while Jeffries was chief executive of Abercrombie & Fitch.

Presiding Judge Nusrat J. Choudhury will rule in May about whether Jeffries will face trial after considering the testimony of multiple specialists - forensic psychologists, specialists and medical experts, including correctional physicians - who were examined in proceedings recently.

'Unrestrained' Conduct

A trio of medical witnesses for the defense, argue that Jeffries is mentally incompetent due to the after-effects of a traumatic brain injury, likely Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

They stated that Jeffries exhibits socially inappropriate and socially inappropriate behavior, which is part of a range of dementia symptoms.

Examples involve Jeffries calling the prosecutor's professional psychologist a insult, remarking on her hair, informing another expert his clothing was ill-fitting, and describing his partner Smith as a derogatory term, they say.

He was also taped in excruciating detail on around 20 jail conversations talking about his travel itinerary for the coming months, despite having been on house arrest since 2024.

"I wouldn't want to go on trips without you," Jeffries was recorded telling Smith from prison.

The prosecution suggest this demonstrates his understanding that he would regain his freedom if he was declared incompetent and the case were dismissed.

Conversely, the defence's medical experts disagree, arguing it instead points to that Jeffries does not remember his court-ordered limits and the seriousness of the situation.

"There wasn't the expected emotional response that I would anticipate someone to have who is up against such grave charges," testified one forensic psychiatrist who reviewed Jeffries.

"On the contrary, his demeanor throughout the assessment... was similar to we were having lunch at his club. There was no sign of anxiety."

Diverging Psychiatric Diagnoses

Reports indicated there is information that Jeffries' decline commenced in 2013, when tests showed mild atrophy, which was accelerated by a incident in 2018.

Jeffries had been consuming alcohol at the time of the 2018 fall and his medical records showed he persisted in drinking subsequent to being treated, but an expert told the judge he did not think his general intake had a decisive influence on his health.

In the wake of the fall, Jeffries became psychotic, and started having visions, with one episode in 2019 where he was discovered in his underwear, incapacitated, in a nearby property.

Experts from a Federal Medical Center stated that Jeffries was competent after observing him over four months in custody.

They contend his intellectual functioning were not consistent with Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be absolutely determined until an examination could be performed.

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

Jeffries, dressed in a suit and tie in the hearing, was reported to be lighthearted and rather engaging during meetings in the facility, and was purposely pushing boundaries, sometimes using familiar terms.

They diagnosed Jeffries with mild neurocognitive deficits and indicated his performance on tests may have gotten better since 2023 from low or deficient to typical because of abstinence from alcohol and better medication management during his confinement.

109 Recorded Conversations Raise Questions

Key to determining competency is whether Jeffries comprehends the allegations against him, their consequences, the {legal proceedings|court process|trial