Jeffries' Competency in Sex Trafficking Trial Questioned

0:00On March 29th, former Evercrombie and Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries faces a big fight over whether he's mentally fit for his sex trafficking trial. The 81-year-old, along with his partner Matthew Smith and associate James Jacobson, got charged last October for allegedly running a global. Operation targeting young men. In court this week on Long Island, audio from over 100 prison calls came up, where Jeffries tell Smith they're screwed if he's ruled. It's a stand trial this October. Prosecutors played those recordings from last year, when Jeffries was in a North Carolina federal prison getting evaluated. He was first deemed incompetent last May, but officials said by December he'd improved enough after four months of treatment. Defense lawyers push back hard, saying dementia, Alzheimer's, and a past brain injury from a 2018 fall make him unfit. Experts clash on his state. Most doctors point to disinhibited behavior, like rude comments and evaluations and memory gaps, as proof he's declining.

1:02Prison psychologists counter that he's sharp, jovial even, with average cognitive scores now, thanks to no booze and better meds. They say he chats strategy on calls, like discrediting witnesses, showing he gets the charges and risks. Those calls, over 22 hours long, reveal Jeffries hoping to be found incompetent, calling a guilty verdict a disaster. He even tells a doctor straight up to deem him unfit. Prosecutors argue this proves he's focused and aware, not lost in fog, despite some slowdowns and tests. The judge still weighs it all, with jury selection set for October 26th. Even if Jeffries sits it out, Smith and Jacobson faced trial, and the case stems from a BBC probe exposing decades of abuse claims from dozens of men. Heavy stakes ahead. That's the story for today. Global news today. Driven by AI. I'm Corey with The Story.