Former Canadian Fashion Mogul Nygard Sentenced to 11 Years for Sex Assault Cases, Reports Reuters

TORONTO (Reuters) – Peter Nygard, the former Canadian fashion mogul, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted of four counts of sexual assault involving women at his Toronto office building, with some incidents dating back several decades.

The sentence accounts for the time Nygard has already served, leaving him with approximately 6.7 years left to fulfill. He will be eligible for full parole after serving one-third of this remaining time.

Nygard, who is 83 years old, was found guilty by a jury in November of last year. He was acquitted of one count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement.

Throughout the six-week trial, the Ontario Superior Court heard from five women who testified about attacks committed by Nygard in a private bedroom suite at his office building between the late 1980s and around 2005.

In late 2020, Nygard was arrested by Canadian authorities at the request of the United States, where he faced allegations of luring women and girls through his businesses for sexual exploitation. A year later, Toronto police brought additional charges against him. Nygard is also confronting charges of sexual assault and forcible confinement in Manitoba and Quebec.

He is currently contesting extradition to the U.S., where he faces federal charges in New York, including conspiracy to commit racketeering, transportation of a minor for the purpose of prostitution, and sex trafficking via force, fraud, or coercion.

Originally from Finland, Nygard grew up in Manitoba, Canada, where he eventually established his namesake clothing brand and amassed significant wealth.

During the sentencing, Justice Robert Goldstein remarked, "Peter Nygard is a sexual predator. He is also a Canadian success story gone very wrong. He used his wealth and his power to commit four sexual assaults."