By Stephen Rex Brown
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — The FBI and the New York Police Department raided the Times Square headquarters of fashion mogul Peter Nygard Tuesday in connection with a sex trafficking investigation, a law enforcement source confirmed.
The raid comes two weeks after 10 women sued Nygard for depraved “pamper parties” at his Bahamas mansion where he allegedly sexually abused underage girls. Dozens more alleged victims have since provided evidence relevant to the civil suit detailing an elaborate trafficking operation, according to attorneys Greg Gutzler and Lisa Haba.
Raids by the FBI and NYPD typically are not a sign that prosecutors are on the verge of filing charges.
The New York Times revealed that the bombshell lawsuit was funded in part by Nygard’s neighbor in the Bahamas, hedge fund titan Louis Bacon.
Nygard, a 76-year-old Canadian, had a database maintained by company employees on more than 7,500 women and girls dating back to 1987, the lawsuit charges.
“Nygard used his considerable influence in the fashion industry, his power through corruption of officials, and a network of company employees under his direction to groom and entice underage girls and women,” the lawsuit alleged.
“Nygard would use means of alcohol, drugs, force fraud and/or other forms of coercion to engage in commercial sex acts with these children and women … in many cases, with knowledge that they were less than 18 years old.”
A Nygard representative did not immediately return a request for comment.
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