Court mulls extraditing fashion exec
MONTREAL: Fashion executive Peter Nygard, wanted in the US for alleged sex crimes, was to appear in court yesterday for an extradition hearing.
Held in prison since his arrest in Winnipeg, Manitoba last December, the 80-year-old Finnish-Canadian millionaire faces nine charges in the United States, including racketeering and sex trafficking.
These involve dozens of victims in the US, the Bahamas and Canada, and include minors, according to the New York federal attorney.
His extradition trial had been scheduled for five days in November but was unexpectedly pushed up to this week and is only expected to last one hour.
Earlier this year, he was denied bail on grounds he might tamper with witnesses or his accusers. The judge noted he had breached court orders on at least five past occasions and that the accusations against him were “disturbing”.
His alleged crimes, US prosecutors said, took place between 1990 and 2020. Mr Nygard and his alleged accomplices, including employees, “used force, fraud, and coercion to cause women and minors to have sex” with them, according to the indictment.
He targeted women and girls from disadvantaged economic backgrounds or who had histories of abuse, using “the ruse of modelling and other fashion industry jobs” to lure them, it said.
His company’s funds were said to have then been used to host dinner parties, poker games and so-called “pamper parties” where minor girls were drugged and women assaulted if they did not comply with his sexual demands.
Corporate accounts were also tapped to pay for victims’ travel, living expenses, plastic surgery, abortions and child support, said prosecutors.
According to court documents, partygoers were often photographed and their personal information.
Mr Nygard has denied the allegations.