Fashion tycoon agrees to be handed over to the United States on suspicion of trafficking in Winnipeg court
Toronto police have released multiple accusations of sexual assault against former fashion tycoon Peter Nygård. Meanwhile, the 80-year-old designer agreed to be handed over to the United States in court on Friday and charged in the United States.
Toronto police news release Nygård was charged with six sexual assaults and three detentions involving six women.
Alleged assaults occurred primarily between the 1980s and 2000s.
On September 29, members of the Sex Offenses-Trafficking Execution Team secured a Nygård arrest warrant. Nygård has been involved in six cases in which men forced women into detention and sexually assaulted them.
Nygård is currently detained in Manitoba and is awaiting deportation to the United States.
Nygård was arrested in December 2020 on charges of sexual trafficking and extortion. He faces nine indictments in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York.
U.S. officials have accused Nygård of using its influence in the fashion industry to seduce women and girls by promising modeling and other financial opportunities. He denied all claims.
He appeared in a court in Winnipeg for an extradition hearing on Friday morning, where he agreed to be handed over to the United States only on charges of sexual trafficking.
Nygård lawyer Brian Greenspan said his client remained innocent, even though he agreed to be handed over after a court hearing.
“As in the past, Mr. Nygård denies allegations of criminal activity. He denies any proposal that he engages in criminal charges,” Greenspan said.
A class action proceeding has been launched in the United States alleging that Nygård has sexually assaulted dozens of women.
With files from Canadian Press
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Andrew is a Toronto-based reporter.