Peter Nygard is a renowned Finnish-Canadian businessman and former fashion executive who was recently convicted of sexual assault. He is the founder of Nygard International, a now-defunct company that manufactures women’s apparel. However, before transitioning into that, this company made sportswear. Furthermore, he was once one of the richest men in Canada. In 2009, his net worth was C$817 million. However, in 2017, it was even higher at C$900 million.
Over the years, many have accused Nygard of sexual abuse and misconduct. This took place in the 1960s, 1980s, and 1990s. Ultimately, in 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) carried out a search warrant for his company’s New York offices. This led to his resigning from his chairman post. The final nail in the coffin for Nygard International was when they filed for bankruptcy in the same year.
In December 2020, he was formally charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. Even minors were involved in this case. Furthermore, in 2021, he was charged for the sexual crimes that he committed when he was younger. Finally, in 2023, the Canadian court convicted Nygard of four counts of sexual assault.
Peter Nygard’s disturbing story will be showcased in the upcoming episode of Rich & Shameless on ID. The episode is titled Peter Nygard’s Unseen Tapes. It will air on December 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ID.
The official synopsis of Peter Nygard’s Unseen Tapes reads, “Billionaire fashion entrepreneur Peter Nygard seems to have it all — private jets, private islands and a private life filled with adoring women; Nygard’s bizarre quest to prevent himself from aging ultimately leads to an earthquake of allegation.”
Who were Peter Nygard’s targets?
During Peter Nygard’s trial, five women testified against the disgraced businessman. According to The New York Times, the women said that Nygard took them to his personal Toronto bedroom suite and sexually assaulted them. Furthermore, they even said that he lured them under pretenses, like receiving a building tour.
The ages of these women ranged from 16 to 28 when they were done wrong. These incidents took place between the 1980s and 2005. Due to a court-ordered publication ban, the names of these victims haven’t been disclosed.
One of the testifiers said that the former businessman invited her to attend a concert. They had met several months before during a flight. When the victim arrived, Nygard took her to his bedroom suite on the fifth floor of his office building. He then closed the door behind him, and soon the woman realized that she was in deep trouble. Furthermore, she tried her best to escape but failed.
She told the jurors, “It was like a nightmare. I was starting to panic a little bit. I thought, ‘Something is really wrong here.’ I was trapped.”
Peter Nygard then raped her, called her a taxi, and threw money at her. Furthermore, he acted like nothing had happened. She stated, “It was back to business as if nothing had happened, like a personality switch.”
Even though he has not been sentenced yet, the maximum prison sentence for sexual assault in Canada is 10 years.
