It appears that Peter Nygard will be spending this Christmas in jail in Winnipeg.
No bail application has been filed and Nygard’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 13 on the Assignment Court, according to a spokeswoman for the Manitoba Courts. A new date, however, is expected to be assigned for the Crown to continue with the extradition process, she said.
Facing racketeering and sex trafficking charges in the U.S., the 79-year-old, self-made apparel magnate was arrested in Winnipeg last week at the request of U.S. officials. Dozens of women have accused Nygard of rape, sexual assault and various other criminal behavior in the U.S., the Bahamas and Canada, among other locations. Some of those alleged incidents were said to have occurred while some of the women were minors.
An attorney for Nygard, Jay Prober, did not respond immediately Thursday to a request for comment. Earlier this week, however, he reportedly said, “We’re still preparing a lot of material.”
Last week during a court appearance, Canadian prosecutors said that Nygard is “a substantial risk of flight” with control over ”significant assets.”
U.S. officials are trying to extradite Nygard, who is facing a nine-count indictment, which was unsealed on December 15 by acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss, assistant director in charge of the New York field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation William F. Sweeney Jr. and the New York City Police Department’s commissioner Dermot Shea.
The litany of allegations against Nygard spans 25 years. The indictment claims that he used “the Nygard Group’s influence, as well as its employees, funds and other resources to recruit and maintain adult and minor-age victims for Nygard’s sexual gratification and the sexual gratification of his friends and business associates.”
In his decades in the fashion industry, Nygard was known for his boisterous personality. In the Bahamas, his lavish and loud parties were said to be frequented by many, and much to his neighbors’ annoyance, as referenced in other lawsuits.
In previous lawsuits, Nygard has been accused of hosting “pamper parties” at Nygard Cay, his sprawling Mayan-inspired waterfront estate in the Bahamas’ tony enclave. After offering free food, alcohol and spa services, Nygard was said to have used a “girlfriend” or another employee to approach a chosen woman or girl to relay Nygard’s interest in sex. Nygard then allegedly engaged in sexual activity on the premises and paid her cash.
During last week’s court hearing in Canada, it was noted that Nygard has demonstrated a pattern of non-attendance in court and disregard for court orders that indicate a likelihood of “continued non-attendance or flight,” according to the affidavit.
By: rosemaryfeitelberg
