Quebec tech mogul Robert Miller has been arrested and charged for 21 counts of sexual assault against 10 victims, eight of them minors, between 1994 and 2016. Miller, 80, allegedly paid young girls to perform sexual acts over the course of more than a decade. He is charged with sexual assault, sexual interference, obtaining sexual services for consideration and sexual exploitation against 10 young girls. The billionaire was arrested Thursday afternoon at his Montreal home in the upscale neighbourhood of Westmount, after investigators reopened his case, Montreal police Insp. David Shane said at a press conference per CTV. Police investigated Miller between 2008 and 2009 before passing it on to prosecutors. No charges were laid after the initial probe. Miller was released on bail with conditions and is scheduled to appear in court July 3. The names of the victims are not to be released under a publication ban. “"We'd like to underline the courage of the victims in this long ordeal," said Shane. Miller also faces three separate lawsuits from women claiming more than $30 million in damages for sex offences and a proposed class-action lawsuit from 50 women alleging he procured them for sexual acts when they were minors, some as young as 11 and 12 years old, the CBC reported. He has denied all allegations.Miller in a statement Thursday evening denied all allegations against him and said he would fight the charges in court. “The clear motivation behind this whole case, dating back as far as 30 years ago, is easy financial gain" at his expense, per the CBC.He slammed prosecution for pursuing the case, “notwithstanding its knowledge that his state of health prevents him from defending himself," he wrote. Miller cofounded Future Electronics in 1968, which became one of the world’s largest electronics distributors in the world, operating in 44 countries and $5 billion in revenue, according to Forbes. He stepped down as CEO in February 2023 after allegations of procuring underage girls for prostitution. He resigned the day after the Fifth Estate published a documentary alleging Miller paid teenage girls for sexual acts in the ‘90s and early 2000s. The state broadcaster in the film said Miller arranged for teenage girls to be brought to hotel rooms in Montreal as well as his Westmount home. Miller has Parkinson’s disease and prosecutor Jeff Orenstein earlier said he fears Miller could die before the trial. In January, he asked permission from the Quebec Superior Court to question him as soon as possible. "It's very clear that it's now or never, he has a degenerative illness," said Orenstein at the time, according to CTV. Miller’s attorney Karim Renno argued he is already “unable to testify” per the “prevailing medical opinion of the experts on both sides” and called the move “intimidation.”Shane said Thursday the 2008 investigation did not yield enough evidence for a conviction, but new information over the past year has been uncovered. "We made a public call for … any victim or any witness to come forward because we were willing to reopen the case," said Shane. "Based on some new information, some new people came forward who were able to further the case and be able to submit all of it to the Crown prosecutor."The inspector said the investigation is ongoing and could lead to more arrests being made. He said other victims in the Miller case can call 514-280-8522 to file a report.
