Bang /Invision/AP, File)WINNIPEG, MB – Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was arrested on charges alleging he sexually abused women and girls after luring them into his orbit with opportunities in fashion and modeling over the last 25 years. Nygard's arrest on sex trafficking, racketeering and related charges came after the FBI raided his Manhattan offices earlier this year. The indictment alleged that Nygard and his co-conspirators, including Nygard Group employees, used force, fraud, and coercion to enlist the women and girls, who were sexually abused and assaulted by Nygard and others. It added that he sometimes paid the women and girls amounts ranging from hundreds of dollars to several thousand dollars. A spokesman for Nygard said earlier this year he was stepping down as chairman of Nygard companies and would divest his ownership interest.

Bang /Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK, N.Y. – Federal authorities raided the Manhattan headquarters of the Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, a search that came amid claims he trafficked and sexually assaulted dozens of teenage girls and women. Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan, confirmed the raid but declined to comment on the investigation. It alleges he plied the young women with drugs and alcohol during “pamper parties” and kept a database on a corporate server containing the names of thousands of potential victims. Five women who were not named in the lawsuit told The Times that Nygard sexually assaulted them in the Bahamas when they were teenagers. The newspaper said two women later recanted their claims, “saying they had been promised money and coached to fabricate their stories.”