Peter Nygard: Fashion mogul's offices raided by FBI in sex trafficking investigation

Ten women have filed a lawsuit claiming Mr Nygard raped them at 'pamper parties'

A sign featuring a picture of Peter Nygard outside his Times Square headquarters in New York City (AP)

Police and federal agents raided a building in Manhattan belonging to fashion mogul Peter Nygard on Tuesday morning as part of an investigation into sex trafficking.

The New York Times reported that law enforcement officials were seeking evidence for an investigation.

Mr Nygard is the chairman of Nygard International, a Canadian women’s fashion company.

The 78-year-old, who 10 women have recently accused of raping them at “pamper parties”, has been under investigation for the last five months by an FBI and NYPD joint child exploitation task force.

He has denied allegations of wrongdoing. His spokesman has said his client expects his name to be cleared.

The rape allegations against Mr Nygard are said to have occurred at his estate in the Bahamas. Dozens of other women have made allegations against him since the initial lawsuit was filed against him.

The lawsuit claims that Mr Nygard lured the victims to his estate and forced them to commit sex acts. The suit alleges that women who tried to leave the island were harassed by Bahamian law enforcement that were taking payments from Mr Nygard.

The allegations against Mr Nygard cover a 40-year span and include the stories of some women who say they were abused when they were teenagers. Most of the women worked for Mr Nygard in some capacity. Nine women have alleged that he raped them, while another nine have made sexual harassment complaints against him.

(Annie I. Bang/Invision/AP (Annie I. Bang/Invision/AP)

The “pamper parties” where the women were allegedly abused were attended by political figures, it is claimed.

“The scheme was so successful that victims who escaped Nygard Cay were often brought back to the Cay by the Bahamian police,” the lawsuit claims.

Ken Frydman, a spokesman for Mr Nygard, told CNN his client was “not surprised” by the raid on his headquarters in New York.

“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,” Mr Frydman said.

Attorneys Greg Gutzler and Lisa Haba, who represent Mr Nygard’s accusers, issued a joint statement condemning Mr Nygard.

“We want these women to know that they are stronger, and their voice is more powerful, than the man who inflicted this horrible alleged abuse. Peter Nygard’s reign of terror has come to an end and we are committed to ensuring that he is brought to justice,” the statement said.