Peter Nygard, the fashion executive being investigated by the FBI for sex trafficking, claims he is the victim of a set-up by his rival Bahamas neighbor with whom he has been locked in a fight-to-the-death feud for more than 10 years.
Nygard claims that Louis Bacon, a billionaire hedge fund manager who has a property next door to him in the Bahamas, is to blame for the FBI launching its probe into him and for a recently filed lawsuit in which 10 women claim he either raped them or abused underage girls.
Bacon and his brother admit propping up the lawsuit by paying investigators and lawyers to look into the allegations. They say they are merely using their resources to benefit a good cause and that they could not stand back and do nothing after being told that Nygard allegedly abused young girls.
Their extraordinary battle dates back to 2009, when Nygard blamed Bacon for a fire on his Bahamas property.
Nygard’s home in the islands is outlandish, extravagant and is the backdrop for debauched parties where, among other things, he has been known to walk around shirtless with the theme tune of Phantom of the Opera playing while young, topless women sun themselves.
He is constantly surrounded by young women and girls, has a pole for dancing on his private plane and refers to his Canada home-office as a ‘passion pit’.
By contrast, Bacon is more conservative. He has been described in the past as ‘buttoned-up’, is married, has a croquet lawn and he has devoted much of his wealth to conservation.
Peter Nygard says Louis Bacon, his billionaire neighbor in the Bahamas, is behind the FBI’s investigation into him for allegedly sexually trafficking young girls. They have been feuding for years over their properties
Bacon says he knows first hand how Nygard operates having lived in close proximity to him in the Bahamas where victims say much of the abuse has taken place
When some of Nygard’s property burned down in 2009, the local government did not let him rebuild it.
According to the Times, he blamed the decision on Bacon, sued him and set about a ruthless smear campaign which has resulted in sparring lawsuits over a range of issues.
Their fight is what Nygard is attributing the FBI sex trafficking probe to.
‘As a direct result and in furtherance of the conspiracy planned by Billionaire Louis Bacon, federal agents have executed a search and seizure on Nygard offices in California and New York.
‘As with the other actions taken as a result of Louis Bacon’s conspiracy, Nygard is not surprised by this latest action,’ Ken Frydman, a spokesman for Nygard, told DailyMail.com.
He went on to say that Bacon had ‘paid’ people to lie – both in the lawsuit and in a recent New York Times article about their feud and about Nygard’s alleged abuse of girls.
‘When witnesses are paid to lie and others are paid millions of dollars to set up Peter Nygard, as Louis Bacon and his co-conspirators did and as The New York Times reported this past Sunday, it is not surprising that law enforcement would look into the fabricated and manufactured claims.
Nygard’s property is an adult playground where he has ‘pamper parties’ for young girls, blasts music and, allegedly has plied young girls with drugs and alcohol
Nygard with Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice and Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson
Nygard with Prince Andrew on his Bahamas island in 2011
‘Nygard welcomes the federal investigation and expects his name to be cleared.
‘He has not been charged, is not in custody and is cooperating with the investigation.
‘The federal agents should similarly execute a search and seizure on Louis Bacon, Zack Bacon, Moore Capital Management, Moore Charitable Foundation and the other people and entities that were identified in Nygard’s RICO lawsuit filed against Louis Bacon,’ Frydman said.
Frank Montoya, a retired FBI agent, said he is likely trying to minimize the fallout.
‘Cooperation can be useful, but subjects in these kinds of cases typically say they’re cooperating to try to minimize fallout from the accusations.
‘Yes, they are innocent until proven guilty, but, more often than not these days, those who commit these kinds of crimes are facing justice (Harvey Weinstein, for instance), even if they do cooperate.’
He added that by searching his Manhattan offices, the feds may be looking for evidence of other crimes.
Cooperation can be useful, but subjects in these kinds of cases typically say they’re cooperating to try to minimize fallout from the accusations
Retired FBI agent Frank Montoya
‘That’s a potential indicator that they are looking for more than evidence of sex trafficking or abuse….could be white collar-related evidence, too,’ he said.
The Times article cited several of the women in the lawsuit who described how Nygard abused them.
Their harrowing allegations include that he plied girls – often as young as 14 – with alcohol and drugs then raped them after hosting ‘pamper parties’ at his mansion.
Among the women who claim to have witnessed the abuse or been victims of it in the Bahamas is Tamika Ferguson.
She is an orphan from a poor neighborhood of the Bahamas who had been invited to one of Nygard’s parties by a D.J. She claims he raped her.
She says that the men’s fight is muddying the issue.
‘They’re messing up people’s lives in the middle of their fight,’ she told the Times.
Litira Fox, a former girlfriend of Mr. Nygard’s who said she recruited for him, has also spoken out against him. She says she’s seen Nygard in bed with two teenagers at a time including one who was in her school uniform.
Louis with his wife Gabrielle. He is quiet and understated, devoting much of his wealth to conservation efforts
Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard, 78, is seen partying with scantily-clad young women at his mansion in the Bahamas in 2007 in photos obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com
He maintains that he has never been inappropriate towards any woman.
Their claims are not new; Nygard has in the past been accused by different women of sexual assault and he was once charged in Canada in 1979 with raping an 18-year-old. That case was however dropped due to a lack of evidence and other lawsuits making similar claims have been resolved privately.
Nygard’s reputation for debauchery is well-known.
According to the Times story, he has a taste for young, slender women with shapely backsides. He calls them ‘toilets’.
Film star Jessica Alba once attended a party on his property while filming Into the Blue in the Bahamas.
She said afterwards: ‘It’s gross. these girls are like 14 years old in the jacuzzi. Taking their clothes off.’
Former employees of Nygard’s have sued him claiming that he forced themselves on him.
The allegations involving his sexual treatment of women pre-date his spat with Bacon which kicked off in 2009, with both men trying to weaponize their wealth against one another in the Bahamas.
Nygard is accused of being behind a smear campaign in the Bahamas against Bacon. Above is a 2015 protest where demonstrators held up signs alleging he was part of the KKK
Nygard paid for websites where Bacon was smeared. A 2015 protest was also held in the Bahamas where demonstrators said Bacon was part of the KKK.
In 2015, Bacon and his brother Zack hired TekStratex to investigate claims that he’d been having sex with underage girls.
They spent $6million trying to get it to the authorities. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security launched investigations but nothing was done.
Bacon released a statement last week saying: ‘I was not looking for this fight, but once I heard repeated, credible reports from disgusted whistleblowers that Mr. Nygard was abusing young, vulnerable women, I could not ignore this disturbing information.
‘I sought to help and empower the alleged victims by connecting them with appropriate law enforcement authorities.
The Nygard offices in Time’s Square were deserted on Tuesday after the FBI raid
‘That is where this matter belongs.’
He told the Times for its story: ‘I, of anybody, knew what it was like to have this guy come at you. So my heart went out to these women.’
The FBI does not comment on ongoing investigations.
Agents were seen searching the Nygard offices in Time’s Square on Tuesday.
It prompted Nygard to step down from the fashion empire, which makes mostly women’s leggings.
‘Recognizing the priority of the welfare of the thousands of Nygard employees, retail partners, loyal customers, vendors, suppliers and business partners, Peter Nygard has made the decision to step down as Chairman of the Nygard Companies and will divest his ownership interest.
‘After being viciously and maliciously attacked for over a decade by Louis Bacon and his operatives, which has included millions of dollars in payoffs to women and others to make false claims against him, Peter Nygard has decided that his legal battles with Louis Bacon will no longer be a distraction to the Companies.
‘The wonderful Nygard employees who rely upon the Companies for their livelihoods must now be the priority. Peter Nygard thanks his employees for their years of dedicated service,’ Frydman said on his behalf in a statement on Wednesday.