CENTRAL ISLIP, NEW YORK — A three-day mental competency hearing for former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries began in federal court in Central Islip, New York. Lawyers for Jeffries say he is mentally incompetent to stand trial in his October sex trafficking case.

Clinical neuro-psychologist Jacqueline C. Valdes testified that Jeffries is severely impaired. "He was just saying things without a filter," Valdes said, describing Jeffries' behavior during evaluations. During her testimony, she recounted that Jeffries told her, "You better find me incompetent." She said the statement was "just another example of the disinhibited behavior I was talking about earlier."

Valdes said Jeffries exhibited inappropriate behavior during their interactions. "He was sometimes jocular, sometimes too personal in his interactions with me," she said. Jeffries used words like 'bitch' in conversations with prison mental health workers.

Federal prosecutors maintain that Jeffries is competent to stand trial. They say their own doctors and analysis of more than 100 phone calls between Jeffries and his long-term romantic partner Matthew Smith support their conclusion that he is competent. Prosecutors plan to call three psychiatric experts to testify and play sections of last year's prison tape during the competency hearing.

The 81-year-old Jeffries spent four months last year in the mental health unit of a federal prison in North Carolina. During his stay, more than 100 of his phone calls with Smith were recorded. In December, after his release from four months of examinations and treatment at Butner, federal prosecutors' doctors found that Jeffries could understand his charges and assist in his defense.

Valdes said scans of Jeffries' brain show evidence of atrophy and other markers of dementia. She said Jeffries scored extremely low on memory and comprehension tests. Last year, Jeffries' response to a test naming fruits and vegetables was in the bottom 3% for his age, and his recall of a 16-word list was at the bottom 1% for his age.

Before his October 2024 indictment, Jeffries exhibited hallucinations, wandering, delusional thinking, and acting out his dreams. Valdes said Jeffries' symptoms have been partially alleviated by medication. During a 2023 interview, Smith said Jeffries was found in a neighbor's yard, sitting in his underwear and unable to move.

Jeffries was indicted in October 2024 on sex trafficking charges that allege he used his wealth and power to abuse dozens of aspiring male models while he was CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch. Jeffries, Smith, and James T. Jacobson have pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges. If convicted, they face mandatory minimum sentences of 15 years and up to life in prison.

Jeffries is free on $10 million bail. Jury selection for his sex trafficking trial is scheduled to start on October 26.