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Fashion Mogul Peter Nygard Arrested On Federal Sex Trafficking Charges!

Peter Nygard arrested on sex trafficking charges

Yet another powerful man has been accused of using his position to sexually abuse women and underage girls.

On Monday, Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was arrested on sex trafficking charges claiming he lured young women over the last 25 years with promises of modeling and fashion opportunities. The 79-year-old’s arrest came after feds raided his Manhattan offices earlier this year.

More recently, 10 women sued Nygard, saying he enticed young and poverty-stricken women to his Bahamas estate with cash and assurance of opportunities in the fashion industry; 57 women have since joined the lawsuit, in which several plaintiffs said they were just 14 or 15 years old when Nygard gave them alcohol or drugs and then raped them. While announcing the charges, authorities said Nygard used the influence of the international apparel business he founded to entice victims to give in to his orders.

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An indictment claims he exploited the Nygard Group‘s prestige and used its employees, funds, and resources to recruit women and underage girls. It went on to allege that the fashion mogul and his co-conspirators — including company employees — used force, fraud, and coercion to enlist the alleged victims, who were sexually abused and assaulted by Nygard and “his friends and business associates.”

These newer claims echo those in a class-action lawsuit that accuses Nygard of using his company, bribery of Bahamian officials, and “considerable influence in the fashion industry” to recruit victims in the Bahamas, US, and Canada. It claims he gave the young women drugs and alcohol during “pamper parties” and kept a database on a corporate server containing the names of thousands of potential victims.

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The suit claims Nygard’s alleged victims had their passports taken from them when they were flown into the Bahamas, alleging that the designer “expected a sex act before he was willing to consider releasing any person” from his estate.

Nygard is being held in a jail in the Canadian province of Manitoba, and reportedly plans to seek out a bail hearing as soon as next week, despite a hearing being scheduled for January 13. He denies all allegations and blames the charges on a conspiracy caused by a feud with his billionaire neighbor in the Bahamas.

Earlier this year, a rep for Nygard said he was stepping down as chairman of Nygard companies and would divest his ownership interest.

[Image via Nicky Nelson/WENN]

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Dec 16, 2020 11:31am PDT