Thread by @nytimes

Fashion mogul Peter Nygard built a system to lure teen girls to his sprawling estate in the Bahamas for decades, dozens of women and former employees told The New York Times. Many of their stories echo one another: “He preys on poor people's little girls.”nyti.ms/37SPHVs

Some of the allegations are detailed in a new federal lawsuit filed in New York on behalf of 10 women who say Nygard sexually assaulted them. The suit claims he shared victims with local politicians, paid off Bahamian police, and groomed some victims into recruiters.

Through a spokesperson, Nygard denied the allegations. Part of his defense: His claim that his billionaire neighbor in the Bahamas, Louis Bacon, was paying people to lie about him.

When the Bahamian government wouldn't let Nygard rebuild his beachfront estate after a fire in 2009, he blamed Bacon, an ardent conservationist. It set off a war. They've spent tens of millions of dollars and filed at least 25 lawsuits against each other in 5 jurisdictions.

Bacon hired an army of lawyers and investigators to fight off Nygard. They found alleged sex crime victims and flagged law enforcement. But some tactics Bacon's team used to help the investigation, like giving money and gifts to witnesses, created vulnerabilities in the case.

Some women who say Nygard raped them feel exploited by both men — by Nygard for sex, and by Bacon to make a case against his enemy.

To put the men's power in this developing nation into perspective: Together, they're worth close to the Bahamian government's annual budget.

.@Kim_Barker, @porterthereport and @gr_ashford interviewed hundreds of people for this story.

They found allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Nygard not just in the Bahamas, but in the U.S. and Canada — decades before his feud with Bacon.
nyti.ms/37SPHVs