New charges against Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach involve 7 additional complainants

TORONTO (AP) — Austrian-Canadian auto parts billionaire Frank Stronach who was arrested again this week is accused of sexually assaulting seven new complainants in alleged incidents from 1977 to as recently as February, court documents on Friday showed.

The documents provide additional information about eight new charges that police recently brought against 91-year-old Stronach, after he was initially arrested in early June on five charges involving three different complainants.

The documents say Stronach is accused of attempting to have sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent and indecently assaulting her between June 1977 and January 1978.

The founder of auto parts giant Magna is also charged with sexually assaulting six other complainants in incidents that allegedly occurred in the 1980s, 1990s, early 2000s and this year.

The previously filed charges against Stronach involve allegations dating from the 1980s to 2023.

“We are appealing for any victims or persons with information to come forward,” Peel Regional Police Constable Tyler Bell-Morena said in a email.

Police released few details on the additional charges.

“Mr. Stronach denies and will vigorously defend these further untested allegations dating back to 1977,” Brian Greenspan, Stronach’s lawyer, said in a emailed statement this week.

Stronach, born in Austria, became one of Canada’s wealthiest people by creating Magna in his garage in 1957 and building it into one of the world’s largest suppliers of auto parts.

He also founded The Stronach Group, a company specializing in horse racing. He made a brief foray into Austrian politics more than a decade ago and has been named to the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honors.