Federal agents and New York Police detectives raided the Manhattan headquarters of the fashion company run by a Canadian fashion executive on Tuesday morning, seeking evidence in a sex-trafficking investigation, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, Peter Nygard was also investigated in late 2015 and the summer of 2017 on sex-trafficking allegations. He was also probed by the Department of Homeland Security, which investigated him for nine months with no result.
The 78-year-old Nygard has been under investigation for at least five months by a joint child-exploitation task force overseen by the Manhattan US attorney’s office. According to the report, at least four women have accused Nygard in a lawsuit of sexually assaulting them when they were 14 and 15.
While the raid is the latest in an ongoing joint investigation, Nygard has racked up decades of sexual misconduct allegations culminating in lawsuits from nine women.
That lawsuit was filed this month. On Sunday, The New York Times detailed how a fight with his wealthy neighbor led to the lawsuit, and also showed a pattern of complaints about sexual misconduct by Mr. Nygard stretching back 40 years.
Nine women in Canada and California, mostly employees, have sued him or reported him to authorities alleging sexual harassment or assault since 1980. In addition, another nine former employees told The Times in interviews that he raped them, touched them inappropriately or proposed sex. READ MORE:
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