In brief
Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries is facing scrutiny over his mental competency to stand trial on sex trafficking charges following prison phone call recordings. Jeffries expressed concerns about being found fit for trial, leading to questions over his health amid claims of dementia. While his defense argues he is unfit for trial, prosecutors cite his phone calls as evidence of lucidity and strategizing capabilities. The judge is set to make a decision on his competency in May.
Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries was recorded telling his British partner we're screwed and in big trouble if he is found fit to stand trial on sex trafficking charges later this year, a New York federal court has heard.
The audio was part of more than 100 phone calls between the ex-fashion boss and Matthew Smith referred to during a four-day mental competency hearing this week on Long Island.
Jeffries' lawyers argue that he is suffering with dementia and late-onset Alzheimer's disease and is unfit to face trial alongside his partner and their alleged middleman in October.
However, prosecutors say their medical experts found that his condition has improved and that the calls reveal he is incredibly focused on being found incompetent.
In further recordings, Jeffries states he is hoping for a good outcome, describing being found fit as a disaster, and even tells a doctor: You better find me incompetent, according to testimony heard in court.
The calls were recorded while he was being treated for four months in a mental health unit at a federal prison in North Carolina, intending to determine if he could regain competency.
At 81 years old, Jeffries had previously been declared mentally incompetent last May, but prison officials declared him fit for trial following his hospital stay in December.
Prosecutors told the court that Jeffries frequently complained about prison conditions, stating on tape that horrible jail was and adding, that's why we got to pull this off.
Jeffries, Smith, and their alleged middleman, James Jacobson, were charged in October 2024 with running a global sex trafficking and prostitution business. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Their arrests followed a BBC investigation and podcast series uncovering the trio’s involvement in a sophisticated operation for scouting young men for sex around the world during Jeffries' leadership at Abercrombie & Fitch.
The court is set to decide in May on Jeffries' fitness to stand trial, after reviewing the testimony from various mental health experts.
In a notable juxtaposition, experts defending Jeffries argue he displays disinhibited behavior consistent with dementia, while contradicting his apparent strategizing discussions captured in the calls. This ongoing debate raises crucial questions about his cognitive abilities and awareness of the legal proceedings against him.
