Stronach found guilty of sexual assault
Frank Stronach, the Canadian businessman who once headed a vast racing operation that included breeding farms and racetracks, was found guilty on Friday of sexual assault and indecent assault in a verdict issued by a Canadian judge.
Stronach, 93, was found guilty on the two charges while three other charges of sexual assault were thrown out. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 17.
The cases were brought by seven women who claimed that Stronach had assaulted them decades ago, spanning from the 1970s to the 1990s. Stronach is also facing other sexual assault allegations in a trial that is scheduled to begin next year.
Justice Anne Molloy of the Ontario Superior Court said in her ruling that Stronach had engaged in “quite simply, gross and disgusting conduct.”
Stronach was once one of the most powerful men in North American racing, controlling a dozen racetracks while breeding hundreds of horses a year. Either individually or through his farm, Adena Springs, Stronach was given the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner three times and Outstanding Breeder four times.
His racing business empire was started in 1998 when he purchased Santa Anita Park through his publicly traded auto-parts company, Magna International. The company eventually acquired a dozen racetracks and related racing companies and was spun-off into a separate company after a shareholder revolt.
In 2020, Stronach reached a settlement with his daughter Belinda that removed him from ownership of the racing business assets but left him in control of the farm operations. He rarely appeared in public at racing events after the settlement.
Belinda renamed the company 1/ST Racing and Gaming, and the company still owns Gulfstream Park in Florida and Santa Anita, along with several other high-profile related racing businesses. Under Belinda’s leadership, the company has sold off most of its properties, including Golden Gate Fields, Pimlico Race Course, and Laurel Park.
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