🔗 Share this article

Ex- A&F top executive Mike Jeffries was heard on tape telling his British partner how they were screwed and in big trouble if he was deemed able to face trial on trafficking allegations this autumn, a US district court has heard.

The audio were included in over 100 phone calls between the ex-fashion boss and Matthew Smith referred to during a lengthy legal competency hearing on Long Island on Long Island.

Jeffries' lawyers assert that he is coping with cognitive decline and the onset of Alzheimer's and is unfit to face trial next to his partner and their accused facilitator in October.

Nevertheless, government lawyers contend their doctors found his mental state has stabilized and that the recordings reveal he is incredibly fixated on being declared not competent.

In other audio clips, Jeffries is heard saying he is hoping for a good outcome, labeling being deemed competent as a disaster, and says to a doctor: you must declare me unfit, the judge learned.

Legal Process and Medical Testimony

The calls were made last 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 not competent last May but facility staff then declared in December that he was competent for proceedings following his evaluation.

The prosecution told the judge Jeffries frequently protested life in jail and was heard explaining to Smith how awful jail was, adding: so we got to pull this off.

Context

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

They have denied the accusations, which could result in a potential penalty of life in prison.

Their detentions came after an investigation that showed the trio had been at the heart of a sophisticated network scouting young men for sex around the world while Jeffries was the head of Abercrombie & Fitch.

The Honorable Nusrat J. Choudhury will make a determination in May about whether Jeffries will face trial after considering the statements of several professionals - psychologists, doctors and medical experts, including prison doctors - who were questioned in the courtroom recently.

'Unrestrained' Behaviour

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

They testified that Jeffries shows socially inappropriate and off-color behavior, which is part of a set of dementia symptoms.

Reported incidents include Jeffries calling the prosecution's professional psychologist a derogatory term, complimenting her hair, telling another expert his clothing was poorly tailored, and describing his partner Smith as a midget, the court heard.

He was also taped in excruciating detail on around 20 recorded calls talking about his travel itinerary for the near future, even though having been on restricted movement since 2024.

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

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

However, the defense's expert witnesses disagree, stating it instead points to that Jeffries has forgotten his legal restrictions and the seriousness of the case.

"He lacked the appropriate reaction that I would expect someone to have who is confronting such severe charges," said one forensic psychiatrist who reviewed Jeffries.

"On the contrary, his demeanor during the assessment... was similar to we were having a chat at his country club. There was no sense of alarm."

Opposing Psychiatric Opinions

Evidence indicated there is information that Jeffries' cognitive deterioration began in 2013, when imaging showed brain shrinkage, which was exacerbated by a accident in 2018.

Jeffries had been drinking alcohol at the moment of the 2018 incident and his medical records showed he kept on drinking following being hospitalised, but an expert told the judge he did not think his general alcohol consumption had a decisive influence on his health.

In the wake of the fall, Jeffries experienced psychosis, and began hallucinating, with one incident in 2019 where he was located in his underwear, incapacitated, in a nearby property.

Experts from a treatment facility stated that Jeffries was fit after assessing him over four months in the facility.

They say his mental faculties did not align with Alzheimer's disease, which the court heard could not be absolutely determined until an examination could be performed.

"Even given the declines that Mr Jeffries has suffered... he still is brighter and more capable mentally than probably 95% of the inmates that we test for fitness," stated one doctor.

Jeffries, wearing a formal wear in the court, was reported to be cheerful and fairly charismatic during evaluations in prison, and was deliberately pushing boundaries, at times using informal address.

They assessed Jeffries with slight deficits and indicated his testing scores may have gotten better since 2023 from low or impaired to typical because of sobriety and improved medication management during his stay.

109 Recorded Conversations Raise Concerns

Central to establishing fitness is whether Jeffries grasps the charges against him, their implications, the {legal proceedings|court process|trial