Fashion Executive Charged with Sex Trafficking Crimes Against Women and Young Girls

On Tuesday, December 15, the U.S. attorney’s office, the F.B.I., and the New York Police Department charged an influential and wealthy fashion executive with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and several other related crimes that involved dozens of women and girls as young as 14 over a 25-year-period. More than 80 women from the United States, the Bahamas, and Canada have signed on as plaintiffs. At the time of the assault, many victims were sought out to be models or actresses, recruited by Nygaard’s company.

According to The New York Times, Peter Nygard is “accused of targeting victims from disadvantaged economic backgrounds and, in some cases, with a history of abuse. Mr. Nygard sexually assaulted some, it said, while his associates assaulted or drugged others to ensure their compliance with Nygard’s sexual demands.”