MONTREAL — Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard pleaded guilty Monday to sexual assault and forcible confinement in Quebec, the latest conviction in the downfall of the founder of the once-global Nygard International clothing company. Nygard also faces U.S. racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
The 84-year-old appeared by video from an Ontario prison, where he is serving an 11-year sentence after a Toronto jury convicted him in 2023 of sexually assaulting four women. He also faces extradition to the United States on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
Quebec Crown prosecutor Jérôme Laflamme said Nygard’s plea came unexpectedly ahead of what had been scheduled as a 10-day judge-alone trial.
“Mr. Nygard’s change of heart was quite sudden,” Laflamme told reporters, adding the complainant had been prepared to testify.
Evidence presented by the prosecution, which the defense did not contest, showed Nygard took advantage of his position as a renowned fashion designer to lure young women.
It says the victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, met Nygard in a bar when she was 18. She wanted to be a fashion model.
They met for lunch at her workplace to discuss her career, and he invited her to his Montreal penthouse, saying he had forgotten his keys. Once in the penthouse, he locked her in the bedroom and sexually assaulted her.
According to the court documents, Nygard told the victim she could move to the Bahamas and promised her a life of luxury under the condition that she would have sex with him and other women.
The events took place between November 1997 and November 1998.
Quebec prosecutors charged Nygard in 2022 with one count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement.
Nygard, who immigrated to Canada from Finland as a child, built a global fashion empire and hosted lavish parties at his Bahamas estate, Nygard Cay, before his business collapsed amid sexual assault allegations that led to investigations in Canada and the United States.
Judge Nathalie Fafard accepted evidence of Nygard’s Toronto conviction after finding similarities between the two cases.
Defense lawyer Gerri Wiebe said Nygard chose not to contest the Quebec charges before his pending extradition to the United States. She said he is in frail health and argued that transferring him now could endanger his life.
U.S. prosecutors allege Nygard spent about 25 years using his fashion company, employees and financial resources to recruit women and underage girls in the United States, Canada and the Bahamas for sexual exploitation. He has pleaded not guilty to the U.S. charges.
Sentencing was postponed pending a medical assessment. The case returns to court Oct. 2, when lawyers are expected to present a joint sentencing recommendation.
Wiebe said the United States can only extradite Nygard once his legal matters in Canada are settled. She added that postponing the sentence ensures that Nygard can remain in the country.
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