Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was arrested Monday in Canada after the authorities in the U.S. indicted him on multiple charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering.
Canadian police arrested Nygard, 79, in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the request of U.S. authorities under the Extradition Act, according to the Guardian.
Nygard is facing a class-action lawsuit in Manhattan, NY, following allegations that he assaulted several women over several decades.
According to the nine-count indictment unsealed on Tuesday by authorities in the state of New York, Nygard used his business influence to recruit victims in the U.S., Canada, and the Bahamas.
He allegedly used the victims to provide sexual gratification for himself and other men, including his business associates.
The alleged crimes were reportedly committed over decades, starting in the 1990s.
Nygard’s recruitment effort allegedly targeted women with poor backgrounds. He allegedly used multiple means, including alleged “pamper parties” funded by his company.
The parties were said to be held at his properties in California and the Bahamas.
He was also accused of recruiting young underprivileged women at his Bahamas estate by enticing them with cash and promising them modeling opportunities.
Some of the victims were allegedly as young as 14 and 15 and some were allegedly drugged before being sexually assaulted.
Canadian police arrested Nygard after the FBI searched his New York offices
Canadian authorities arrested Nygard after several women filed a civil lawsuit accusing the fashion mogul of recruiting young underprivileged women for sex work. FBI agents searched his offices in Time Square earlier this year.
He has denied all the allegations. He made his first appearance in court on Tuesday, according to the Guardian.
The latest news comes after Home Improvement star, Zachery Ty Bryan, was arrested for allegedly strangling his girlfriend.
Monsters and Critics also reported that Oprah Winfrey was forced to deny rumors that she was arrested for sex trafficking.
Who is Peter Nygard?
Nygard was born in Finland but moved to Manitoba when he was young.
In 2009, the Canadian Business Magazine estimated Peter Nygard’s net worth at more than $817 million, making him the 80th richest man in Canada at the time, according to Forbes. Now, his net worth is estimated to be $700 million.
Nygard started a sportswear company in Canada in the 1960s. He grew his company, Nygard International, into a global clothing company.
He stepped down as chairman of the company earlier in the year after the FBI and NYPD started investigations in 2019.
He’s been the subject of various sex trafficking allegations in the past, according to the BBC.