Canadian Fashion Mogul Peter Nygard Arrested on Charges of Sex Exploitation of Dozens of Women

Peter Nygard attending the Toronto International Film Festival in 2005. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] Peter Nygard (79), a Canadian fashion entrepreneur accused of sexually exploiting dozens of women, including minors, was arrested on the 15th (local time).

According to the AP and The New York Times (NYT) on the day, police arrested Peter Nygard, founder of Nygard International, in Winnipeg, Canada, the day before.

Nygard was indicted and arrested by the U.S. Southern District of New York on charges of sex trafficking and extortion. Prosecutors believe that Nygard recruited female victims, including minors, using subordinate employees for his and his associates' sexual gratification for at least 25 years.

According to prosecutors, Nygard is accused of luring women to his mansion by promising them "an opportunity to become models," then drugging and intoxicating them before committing sexual assault. Many victims were found to be vulnerable women from impoverished or abusive backgrounds.

Recently, 57 female victims, including minors aged 14 to 15, filed a class-action lawsuit in a U.S. court against Nygard and others, alleging similar charges.

They claimed that Nygard's group confiscated the passports of victims who came to the Bahamas and did not return them until sexual acts were performed, and that they stored a database of thousands of potential victims on the company's computer servers.

Allegations of Nygard's sexual crimes surfaced when the FBI raided the headquarters of Nygard International in February. However, at that time, Nygard's side denied the sex trafficking allegations, calling them "completely fabricated."

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