Toronto Superior Court on Monday sentenced former fashion mogul Peter Nygard to 11 years in prison on four counts of sexual assault.
In November, Nygard, 83, was convicted of four counts of sexual assault over incidents involving three women and a minor in a private area of his company’s former offices in Toronto. The attacks occurred between the 1980s and 2005.
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Nygard, who appeared in court on Monday, will be sentenced to six years and seven months in prison, taking into account time already served.
The Crown had sought a 15-year sentence in federal prison, and Nygard’s lawyer, Gerri Wiebe, had sought a six-year sentence because of his age, “deteriorating health” and time spent in prison. The self-made millionaire’s health was at issue during Monday’s hearing – Nygard has Type 2 diabetes and glaucoma, and his legal team argued his medical care under the prison system was inadequate.
Before Nygard was sentenced, Supreme Court Justice Robert Goldstein said, “Mr. Nygard is a sexual predator. He used his position as a fashion designer to travel to exotic locations. [where] “He owned luxurious residences in each and frequented clubs where famous models were present to take advantage of young women. He flattered them by telling them they looked like, or could be, fashion models or that they dressed well. He flew business class with an entourage. He dangles the possibility of glamorous travel, employment and business opportunities.”
Goldtstein continued, “Part of Mr. Nygard’s power was that his private space was well equipped for non-consensual sex. Mr. Nygard could have a luxury condo or apartment in Toronto, or even stay in a luxury hotel during his visits. Using his private apartment in his own office building, he could regulate access and prioritize his victims without the need for anyone he had not hired to monitor their involvement.”
The sentencing hearing has been postponed several times, in part because Nygard has worked with three different lawyers this year. The Aug. 2 hearing was postponed at the Crown’s request so that Neville Golwalla, a Crown attorney who was traveling at the time, could be present.
Nygard was arrested in Winnipeg on a preliminary arrest warrant initiated by the United States in December 2020. In December 2020, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York unsealed a nine-count indictment charging him with racketeering, sex trafficking and related crimes involving at least dozens of victims in the United States, the Bahamas and Canada over a period of more than a decade. All three locations are locations where the late fashion executive had business operations.
Nygard, a native of Finland, was known for his blond hair, year-round tan, and unbuttoned shirts. He founded his eponymous sportswear company in Winnipeg in 1967, expanded distribution to the U.S. in 1978, and opened an international office in Toronto in 1987. At the height of his business in 2003, Nygard had sales of approximately $250 million in the U.S. and $500 million in Canada. Specializing in affordable, basic sportswear sold in department stores, Nygard was an early adopter of vertical manufacturing, expansions into Asia, and paperless operations. But as competition increased, the struggling business filed for Chapter 15 in May 2020, and its brands were put up for sale. After the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York Police Department raided Nygard’s Times Square offices in September 2020, the few major chains that still sold Nygard clothing and accessories dropped their labels. The company’s founder resigned from his company in December 2020.
Nygard was transferred to Toronto South Detention Centre after being charged in that city in October 2021 after being held at Headingley Correctional Centre.
Media requests to Wiebe and his law firm, Wiebe Criminal Defense, were not immediately responded to Monday morning.
Last year, Nygard filed a lawsuit challenging his extradition to the United States, where he faces charges of sex trafficking and extortion in the United States. According to the indictment, over a 25-year period, Nygard used the Nygard Group’s “influence, employees, funds and other resources to recruit and retain adult and minor female victims for Nygard’s sexual gratification and the sexual gratification of his friends and associates.” The indictment was sealed by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Nygard also faces sexual assault and kidnapping charges in Quebec.
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