Full Breakdown
Toronto Officer Pleads Guilty in Project South Corruption Probe
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Guilty Plea and Charges
Constable Elias Mouawad, a 24-year-old Toronto police officer, entered a guilty plea for a single count of unauthorized use of a computer. The breach-of-trust charge that accompanied the original indictment was withdrawn by the Crown. The offence stemmed from a request by his former employer, Daljit Singh, to run a licence-plate search on a police-cruiser computer in mid-January. Mouawad complied, providing the results without knowing the ultimate recipient. He has expressed remorse, apologised in court, and acknowledged responsibility for the conduct.
Background & Context
Project South is a police-corruption investigation launched in June 2025 after York Regional Police disrupted an alleged plot to kill a senior corrections officer at the Toronto South Detention Centre. The probe has expanded to include alleged drug-trafficking networks, a gun-for-hire ring, and illegal dispensaries. To date, six Toronto police officers, one retired constable, and 19 civilians are facing charges linked to the investigation. Mouawad is the second officer to plead guilty; the first was former constable Derek McCormick, who admitted to theft-related offences in July.
Data & Statistics
- Officers arrested in Project South: eight current and former Toronto police officers.
- Charges overall: six officers, one retired constable, and 19 civilians.
- Mouawad’s service record: 1½ years on the force, noted for a high number of arrests during his first year.
- Crown’s sentencing proposal: a four-month conditional sentence comprising two months of house arrest, two months of curfew (12 a.m.–6 a.m.), and a minimum of one year of probation.
- Defense request: a conditional discharge, which would register a finding of guilt but impose no criminal record if conditions are met.
Official Statements & Responses
He emphasized that the offence, while isolated, undermined public trust in policing.
Defence lawyer Peter Brauti argued that Mouawad’s conduct was “relatively minor” and unrelated to the broader allegations of drug dealing, corruption, and attempted murder that dominate Project South. Brauti highlighted Mouawad’s personal hardships—including family distress and a broken engagement—and contended that a conditional discharge would be proportionate.
Justice Catherine H. Rhinelander adjourned the matter to October for sentencing, noting that Mouawad has been suspended without pay since his early-February arrest.
Verbatim Quotes
- “No one has a right to be a police officer, it is a privilege, it has to be earned,” — Samuel Walker
What’s Next
Mouawad’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for October. The court will decide whether to impose the Crown’s conditional sentence or accept the defence’s request for a conditional discharge, a decision that will shape the precedent for handling isolated breaches of police information security within the larger Project South investigation.