Peter Nygård

Peter Nygård is a Finnish-born Canadian former fashion executive and founder of Nygård International.

Peter Nygård is a Finnish-born Canadian former fashion executive and founder of Nygård International. In 2023 and 2024, he was convicted in Canada of multiple sexual assault charges and forcible confinement. He has also been charged in the United States with racketeering and sex trafficking.

Early life and business career

Peter Nygård was born in Helsinki, Finland, and later became a Canadian fashion executive. He founded Nygård International in 1967, building it into a large women’s apparel company.

Criminal allegations and charges

Authorities in Canada and the United States have alleged that Nygård used his business influence to facilitate sexual abuse and trafficking over several decades. He has faced charges in multiple jurisdictions, including Toronto, Montreal, Manitoba, and New York.

Canadian convictions

In November 2023, a Toronto jury convicted Nygård of four counts of sexual assault. In September 2024, he received an 11-year prison sentence for those offences, and he was later found guilty in Montreal of sexual assault and forcible confinement in a separate case.

United States case

In December 2020, U.S. prosecutors unsealed a racketeering and sex trafficking indictment against Nygård. The indictment described a decades-long pattern of conduct involving multiple alleged victims in the United States, the Bahamas, and Canada.

Public and legal fallout

The allegations against Nygård contributed to intense public scrutiny and the collapse of his business empire. His case has been described as one of the most prominent Canadian sex-crime cases involving a former business executive.