Editor’s note: This article mentions and discusses sexual violence and assault.
Two prominent Canadian billionaires, Frank Stronach, 91, and Robert G. Miller, 80, have been arrested for alleged sex crimes that spanned decades.
According to Forbes, Stronach was raised in Austria, emigrated to Canada, and made his fortune after founding Magna International Inc., an auto parts manufacturer. As of 2018, he’s estimated to be worth US$1.5 billion.
Miller co-founded Future Electronics in 1968. After buying out his partner in 1976, Future Electronics grew, employing 5,200 employees and making over US$5 billion annually. He’s reportedly worth US$2.6 billion.
Stronach, who lives in Aurora, Ontario, was arrested on June 7 and has been charged with five criminal offences, rape, indecent assault on a female, two charges of sexual assault, and forcible confinement. Peel Regional Police alleges that the sexual assaults “spanned from the 1980s to as recent as 2023.”
Frank Stronach (University of Toronto Scarborough)
Police said they’ve released Stronach on conditions, and he’s set to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton at a later date.
Brian Greenspan, Stronach’s lawyer, told Reuters that his client “categorically denies” all the allegations.
“He looks forward to the opportunity to fully respond to the charges and to maintain his legacy as a philanthropist and as an icon of the Canadian business community, ” said Greenspan.
Just a week prior, investigators from the Sexual Exploitation Section of the Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) announced that they’d arrested Miller on May 30 in connection with “events of a sexual nature” that took place between 1994 and 2016.
“Aged 80, Mr. Miller was arrested in Westmount on a warrant for charges related to 10 victims. Some were minors at the time of the alleged acts,” reads the release.
Miller faces 21 charges for sexual assault, obtaining sexual services for payment, pimping, sexual exploitation, inducing prostitution, sexual contact, and sexual intercourse with a minor for payment.
“The message we are sending today to victims is not to hesitate to file a complaint and, above all, that it is never too late to do so,” said Inspector David Shane. “I would like to commend the work of our investigators as well as the courage of the victims who reported.”
BalkansCat/Shutterstock
Consumer Law Group filed a class action lawsuit against Miller in February 2023, and according to court documents, more alleged victims are coming forward.
A document dated March 27, 2024, details that one alleged victim, B.N., claims that she was only 11 when she stated having “ongoing sexual relations” with Miller; it lasted until she was 20 years old.
“In total, the Applicant B.N. saw Defendant Miller at least 30 times, at a frequency of sometimes a few times per month and other times many months apart,” states the document.
The lawsuit is seeking damages of up to $200 million.
Miller is scheduled to appear in court on July 3; however, Montreal Gazette reports that his lawyer, Isabella Teolis, has filed a motion arguing that Miller would be unable to show up in court without medical personnel and equipment as he “suffers from different medical conditions, which include a very advanced degenerative Parkinson’s disease.”
On February 3, 2023, Future Electronics announced that Miller was permanently stepping down from his roles as chairman, president, and CEO to “focus on his very serious health issues and devote his attention to protecting his reputation.”
The release stated that Miller “vehemently denies the malicious allegations made against him and confirms they are false and wholly unsubstantiated and that they arose as a result of a bitter divorce.”