Robert Miller

Early life and career beginnings

Robert Miller's early life was marked by modest circumstances, which he later described as coming from sparse beginnings. His father, David Miller, worked in various fields including owning an antique store, selling cars, and retail groceries. David Miller had a documented association with organized crime figures in Montreal, having been arrested alongside mobster Harry Ship and named in connection with the Cotroni crime family. In 1967, just days before his wedding, Robert Miller was arrested alongside his father in Calgary, Alberta, for running an illegal gambling outfit, posting $10,000 in bail to return to Montreal for the ceremony. To pay for college, Miller worked at a snack bar and as a DJ, demonstrating an early entrepreneurial drive. He graduated from Rider University and later completed a three-year program in electronics at the Montreal Technical Institute, which provided the technical foundation for his future business.

Upon returning to Montreal in 1967, Miller intended to work in radio but was instead hired by the electronics wholesaler Specialty Electronics, owned by Ben Manis. Within 18 months, he partnered with the owner's son, Eli Manis, to form Future Electronics. Miller bought out Manis's share in the company for $500,000 in 1976, later characterizing both Manis men as unsophisticated and unhelpful to his ultimate success. This acquisition marked the beginning of his sole control over the company he would build into a global powerhouse. His marriage in December 1967 to advertising executive Margaret Josephine Antonier coincided with these turbulent early business and legal events, setting the stage for both his personal and professional life in Montreal.

Building Future Electronics

Under Robert Miller's leadership, Future Electronics grew from a small startup into the world's third-largest electronics distributor, controlling a dominant share of the global semiconductor and capacitor markets. He cultivated a unique and highly controlled corporate culture, which some former employees described as cultish and authoritarian. Miller's business philosophy was treated as a regulated mantra within the company, with cards featuring his quotes given to new hires, and he exerted significant influence over both the professional and private lives of his staff. He advised all employees to sleep eight hours, avoid sugar, red meat, fried foods, starches, and alcohol, exercise daily, and take regular vacations. A Quebec business journal once labeled Future Electronics the province's most secretive company, reflecting Miller's intense desire for privacy.

The company faced a major legal challenge in 1999 when it was raided by a joint force of 45 officers from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The officers spent 24 hours at the Montreal headquarters seizing computers, tapes, discs, and 85 boxes of documents as evidence. Miller told employees the raid was an unfounded assault on their integrity, and the company vigorously challenged the search and the surrender of documents in court. While Future Electronics stated the investigation involved allegations of price-fixing, the FBI declined to confirm the nature of its probe. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced in 2002 that it would not pursue charges, ending the high-profile investigation. Miller temporarily stepped back from leadership in 2005 due to illness, with his personal friend Gerry Duggan serving as president before Miller returned on October 1 of that year.

Miller's management style extended beyond the office, as he was known for generous acts towards employees and their families. He organized annual rock concerts for staff, serving as master of ceremonies with headliners like Bryan Adams and Peter Cetera. When the corporate hockey team struggled, he convinced NHL veterans Stephane Matteau and Donald Audette to play in a tournament. He also claimed to have helped in the development of professional tennis player Greg Rusedski and NHL forward Martin Lapointe, and spoke of mentoring prominent politicians, academics, and businesspeople worldwide. Following renewed allegations against him in 2023, Miller stepped down as CEO and sold Future Electronics to Taiwan's WT Microelectronics for $5 billion.

Personal life and public persona

Robert Miller maintained an intensely private and security-conscious lifestyle, which became a defining characteristic of his public persona. He did not allow his photograph to be taken or his voice recorded, citing security and privacy concerns. This extended to his properties, as his Westmount home is blurred on Google Maps and the flight paths of his two private jets are removed from public tracking services. In 1984, he purchased his Westmount home from Seagram co-chair Charles Bronfman for $2.65 million, which was at the time the second most expensive residential sale in Canada. The house, designed by architect Richard Weinstein, featured an indoor-outdoor pool, a climate-controlled furs storage unit, an auxiliary generator, and a wine cellar.

His residence became a source of neighbourhood disputes, particularly over a large satellite dish. In 1984, he erected a 16-foot dish in his garden, leading neighbours George and Ginger Petty to file for an injunction, arguing it was more fitting for a military base than residential Westmount. After a court held it was not legal, Miller installed a 10-foot dish in 1986, which a neighbour testified looked like a strategic military air command base on full alert. In 1989, he built a 32-foot accessory building to house the larger dish, triggering another legal challenge from the Pettys. His legal team for these disputes included lawyers from prominent firms such as Kandestin Kugler and Phillips and Vineberg, as well as Stephen Segal, a lawyer from Future Electronics.

Miller's personal interests and health significantly influenced his later life. In 2004, he was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and received a cryoablation procedure after consulting with hockey legend Mario Lemieux on how to obtain it. He and his wife, Margaret Antonier, separated in 2005 and divorced in 2006, with both accusing the other of infidelity. Miller claimed more than half of Future Electronics' profits were given to charity, focusing on issues like pollution, environmental degradation, and resource exploitation. His philanthropic efforts included funding three housing projects for the homeless in the Philippines and contributing to disaster relief in Haiti, China, and Japan. He also noted a very close personal and business relationship with fellow electronics entrepreneur Felix Zandman.

Involvement in cryonics

Robert Miller was a prominent supporter and financier of cryonics, the practice of preserving humans at low temperatures with the hope of future revival. His involvement with the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, based in Arizona, was both personal and financial. Miller intended to be cryopreserved himself and had set aside a portion of his fortune in a trust for his resurrected self to claim in the far future. In 2001, his substantial donations to secure cryonics services from Alcor triggered a regulatory crisis in Arizona, as state rules did not permit the organization to obtain more than a certain percentage of its total funding from a single individual donor, a threshold Miller had exceeded. His commitment to the field continued for decades, leading to the 2022 registration of the Future Cryonics Foundation in the United States to provide funding for Alcor.

When allegations of child sexual exploitation resurfaced in early 2023, Miller significantly increased his funding to the foundation, raising its endowment from $4.5 million to approximately $35 million. This move demonstrated his continued dedication to cryonics research and his personal plans for life extension, even as his legal troubles intensified. The funding increase occurred alongside his stepping down from Future Electronics, linking the final chapter of his business career directly to his long-term cryonics ambitions. The foundation was established to ensure ongoing financial support for the field he believed would one day allow for his own revival.

Legal allegations and criminal charges

Allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors surrounded Robert Miller for nearly two decades, culminating in criminal charges and a class-action lawsuit. The first public signs emerged during his 2006 divorce, when his wife, Margaret Antonier, filed claims alleging she discovered evidence of child sexual abuse. Miller counter-filed, accusing her of an affair, and successfully won a motion to seal the contents of her allegations due to their offensive nature. Antonier hired a private investigator, who staked out a second Westmount house Miller owned and recorded many young girls coming and going. The investigator reported that two members of Miller's security team, operating under the name National Criminal Investigation Service from Future Electronics headquarters, approached him and allegedly offered $300,000 to turn over all evidence and end his probe.

The Montreal police opened an investigation in 2009, interviewing at least 10 alleged victims and executing another search warrant on the Future Electronics headquarters, reportedly targeting the NCIS office within, though the warrant remains sealed. The Intercontinental Hotel confirmed Miller kept a year-round lease on a room through the late 1990s where he would bring very young ladies for a few hours, and where he had paid to install a custom large bathing area that a former head of security dubbed the fuck tub. This police investigation was closed in 2010 without charges. Miller maintained his innocence, stating the age of consent was 14 and that allegations of paying for sex were concocted by his ex-wife, and he also claimed to have been sexually impotent for decades due to Parkinson's disease.

In February 2023, CBC investigative programs Enquête and The Fifth Estate aired reports noting Miller had been investigated several times for allegedly paying minors for sex. He stepped down from Future Electronics within hours of the broadcast while denying the allegations. Miller was arrested on May 30, 2024, and initially faced 21 charges, later increased to 24, including sexual assault, obtaining sexual services for consideration, and multiple counts of sexual exploitation of minors. The allegations stated he used the alias Bob Adams, claiming to be the president of Audiophile Productions in Chicago, while his assistant Raymond Poulet allegedly used the name Sebastien Tremblay, president of a fictional California Productions Inc. Miller pleaded not guilty to all charges.

On June 10, 2025, the Criminal Court found Miller unfit to stand trial due to late-stage Parkinson's disease causing cognitive decline. As of late 2025, a 2023 civil class-action lawsuit against Miller by alleged victims was continuing. The lawsuit named three employees, Helmut Lippmann, Sam Joseph Abrams, and Raymond Poulet, as engaging in or facilitating child sex acts, termed as grooming them with cash and gifts before arranging sex acts with an adult. Lippmann had also been a target in the 1999 FBI and RCMP raid. There were three additional lawsuits outside the class action, maintaining sexual molestation occurred at Miller's home, another Westmount property, and Montreal hotels including the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, facilitated by a female assistant who recruited young girls. In June 2024, Teresita Fuentes was arrested and charged in the investigation, but those charges were dropped in August 2025.

Key legal and business events

The timeline of Robert Miller's life is marked by significant business achievements intertwined with escalating legal controversies. His career began with the founding of Future Electronics, a company he would lead for over five decades before its sale amid scandal. Parallel to his business rise, allegations of serious criminal behaviour emerged, leading to police investigations, a high-profile arrest, and a final determination on his fitness for trial. The sale of his company and the unresolved criminal proceedings, due to his health, concluded a dramatic fall from his position as a leading Canadian billionaire.

• 1968: Founds Future Electronics in Montreal, Quebec.
• 1976: Buys out partner Eli Manis's share of Future Electronics for $500,000.
• 1999: Future Electronics headquarters raided by the FBI and RCMP in a price-fixing investigation. No charges filed by 2002.
• 2006: Wife Margaret Antonier files for divorce, alleging evidence of child sexual abuse.
• 2009: Montreal police open investigation into alleged child sex trafficking. Investigation closed in 2010.
• February 2023: CBC's Enquête and The Fifth Estate air investigations into allegations. Miller steps down as CEO of Future Electronics.
• 2023: Sells Future Electronics to WT Microelectronics for $5 billion.
• May 30, 2024: Arrested and charged with 21 (later 24) sexual offences against minors.
• June 10, 2025: Found unfit to stand trial due to advanced Parkinson's disease.

As of late 2025, the civil class action lawsuit against Miller by alleged victims was continuing. The lawsuit named three employees, Helmut Lippmann, Sam Joseph Abrams and Raymond Poulet, as engaging or facilitating the child sex acts. These acts were termed as grooming them with cash and gifts before arranging sex acts with an adult. Lippman had also been a target in the 1999 FBI and RCMP raid. There are three additional lawsuits, outside the class-action, maintaining sexual molestation occurred at Miller's home, another Westmount residential property, and Montreal hotels including the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. This additional molestation was facilitated by a female assistant of Miller who recruited young girls.

Questions about Robert Miller

What is Robert Miller known for?

Robert Gerald Miller is known as a Canadian billionaire businessman who founded Future Electronics in 1968. He built it into the world's third-largest electronics distributor controlling most of the world's semiconductor and capacitor markets. He is also a supporter of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation and cryonics research, and he intends to be cryopreserved himself. Miller is further known for facing allegations by at least 40 women of setting up a system involving child sex trafficking from 1977 to 2016, leading to his 2024 arrest on multiple charges.

What happened to Future Electronics?

Future Electronics was founded by Robert Miller in 1968 after he struck out with the owner's son Eli Manis. Miller bought out Manis' share in the company for $500,000 in 1976. Following high-profile accusations of child sex trafficking, Miller stepped down as CEO in February 2023. He subsequently sold the company to Taiwan's WT Microelectronics for $5 billion.

What were the allegations against Robert Miller?

Robert Miller faced allegations of sexual assault, obtaining sexual services for consideration, and multiple counts of sexual exploitation of minors. The allegations, investigated by Montreal police and reported by CBC, stated he paid underage girls for sex over several decades. He was arrested in May 2024 on 21 charges, later increased to 24. The allegations also formed the basis of a civil class-action lawsuit filed by alleged victims in 2023.

What was the outcome of Robert Miller's criminal case?

Robert Miller was arrested on May 30, 2024 and faced 21 charges, later increased to 24 charges, including sexual assault and sexual exploitation of minors. He pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations. On June 10, 2025, Miller was found to be unfit to stand trial in the Criminal Court due to late-stage Parkinson's disease causing cognitive decline. As of late 2025, the 2023 civil class action lawsuit against Miller by alleged victims was continuing.

What is Robert Miller's connection to cryonics?

Robert Miller was a major financial supporter of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation and cryonics research. He intended to be cryopreserved himself and set aside part of his fortune in a trust for his future resurrected self. In 2022, he registered the Future Cryonics Foundation to fund Alcor, and in 2023 increased its endowment from $4.5 million to approximately $35 million. His 2001 donations to Alcor were so large they triggered a regulatory review in Arizona.

Where did Robert Miller live?

Robert Miller lived primarily in Westmount, a wealthy enclave of Montreal, Quebec. In 1984, he purchased a home from Seagram co-chair Charles Bronfman for $2.65 million, then the second most expensive residential sale in Canada. The property, designed by architect Richard Weinstein, featured extensive amenities. Miller was known for his extreme privacy, and his house is blurred on Google Maps. He also maintained a year-round leased hotel room at the Intercontinental Hotel in Montreal during the late 1990s.

Sources and further reading

• Robert Miller (Wikipedia)
• Master the Business Basics, Robert Miller Performance Coach (robertmiller.co.nz)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-11-06.