DATELINE The Secrets of Nygard Cay – Hell in Paradise
Polyester clothing magnate Peter Nygard used his massive wealth to allegedly sex traffic, rape, and blackmail young women at his Bahamas 4.2 acre paradise called Nygard Cay. Tonight’s episode of Dateline interviews some of his victims and explores the story of the strange and hellish fantasyland. Some of the ornamentations included faux Mayan temples and fire-breathing snake sculptures.
Nygard’s major way to attract young women to the island was to advertise indulgent beach parties at his elaborate Bahama pleasure palace full of attention-getting architecture. He refused to invite men so he could have all the women for himself.
One woman, Mirdel Carbuccia, told Dateline she believes she was drugged during one of these parties. “I started getting fuzzy vision and really, really dizzy,” she said. “And I couldn’t feel my hands. I just hear him talking to me and talking to me and then, all of a sudden, I just wasn’t functional anymore.
In February 2020 10 women banded together for a federal lawsuit accusing Peter Nygard of sexual assault. He’s also alleged to have paid off Bahamas police officers to not file reports. He also allegedly used his victims to groom other young women to come to the island.
79-year-old Peter was arrested in Canada in December 2020, where he is still in jail. As of September 2021, Peter Nygard is facing extradition to the United States to face these charges. In March of 2021, his doctor Dr. Harvey B. Lee tried to help him win a bail appeal by arguing that being in jail had aged him and taken a toll on his health. The Supreme Court of Canada rejected his bail appeal and he is still denied bail.
To add to his legal woes, this summer Peter was sued by three Bahamian lawyers to the tune of $14 million in unpaid legal fees.
Peter Nygard’s disturbing exploits are detailed in the book Predator King: Peter Nygard’s Dark Life of Rape, Drugs, and Blackmail (affiliate link*) by Melissa Cronin.
*a percentage of purchases via this link to go Starcam
