NEW YORK — Fallen fashion mogul Peter Nygard must remain in a Canada jail while he fights extradition to Manhattan on charges of sex trafficking, a Winnipeg judge ruled Friday.
Justice Shawn Greenberg said concerns Nygard might tamper with witnesses outweighed the 79-year-old’s claims his health was deteriorating behind bars. The judge said the mogul’s coronavirus fears did not warrant bail.
“It is not a get-out-of-jail-free card,” the judge said, according to Reuters.
Nygard faces federal charges in Manhattan of an elaborate trafficking operation since 1995 in which he drugged and sexually abused women at “pamper parties” in the U.S., Canada and the Bahamas. He was arrested in Canada in December.
“On behalf of the survivors of Peter Nygard’s decades-long sex trafficking conspiracy, we thank the Court for recognizing the imminent danger that he and his myriad conspirators pose to the safety and well-being of society. This is a first step in a belated path to justice for hundreds of innocent victims,” said Greg Gutzler, an attorney for more than 75 Nygard accusers.
A Nygard spokesman did not immediately respond to an inquiry. He’s claimed the charges are part of a conspiracy orchestrated by his neighbor in the Bahamas, billionaire Louis Bacon.
It is unclear how long the extradition process will take, though Nygard is expected to mount an aggressive legal fight.
