Convicted drug trafficker one of Nygard’s backers in bail application

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This article was published 07/01/2021 (1402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A former Hells Angels associate and convicted drug trafficker is among the supporters who have offered to help fashion magnate Peter Nygard win his release on bail while he faces possible extradition to the U.S. for sex crimes and racketeering.

Steve Mager, 43, was among 34 gang members and associates arrested in 2009 in what was described at the time as one of the biggest drug and gang busts in Manitoba history.

In 2012, Mager was sentenced to 5½ years in prison for his part in brokering a deal for four ounces of cocaine.

Mager acknowledged his criminal record, which includes a 30-month sentence for a related conviction in 2002, in a court affidavit in which he offers to be a surety for Nygard if he is released on bail. Mager notes he has no convictions for fraud or perjury.

Mager said he met Nygard while playing poker and in 2017 was offered a job working construction for him. Mager was later made director of construction, he said.

“He gave me a second chance knowing my background,” Mager said.

Mager says he has equity of $300,000 in two homes, one a rental property and the other a family home owned by Mager and his wife.

“I have discussed being a surety for Peter Nygard and she is agreeable,” Mager said.

Nygard’s lawyer, Jay Prober, said he would not have considered offering Mager as a surety if he thought his criminal past was an issue.

“In my view, it should not give the court pause,” Prober said Friday. “Steve Mager has paid his debt to society. He has put his past behind him and is a contributing member of society.”

Court records show Prober represented Mager for at least some time following his arrest in 2009.

Nygard, 79, was arrested on an extradition warrant and taken into custody Dec. 14. A contested bail hearing is set for Jan. 19.

A nine-count indictment filed in the Southern District of New York alleges Nygard, business associates and co-conspirators engaged in a “pattern of criminal conduct involving at least dozens of victims in the United States, the Bahamas, and Canada, among other locations” from 1995 to 2020.

Nygard is accused of raping and trafficking women and girls for sex, targeting victims from “disadvantaged backgrounds” and with a “history of abuse.” He is accused of silencing them with “threats, false promises of modelling opportunities” and “other coercive means.”

At a hearing earlier this week, Scott Farlinger, counsel for the attorney general of Canada, said he will oppose Nygard’s release on bail, arguing he poses “a serious risk of flight and is a risk to offend while on release.

Mager, in his affidavit, said he spent time with Nygard “almost every day” from February 2020 until his arrest in mid-December.

“He grew weaker, his energy level declined, and he aged considerably,” Mager said. “During that same 10 months, he never gave any indication whatsoever that he wanted to leave the jurisdiction. In my opinion, he is not at all a flight risk.”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca