Toronto Police Constable Pleads Guilty After Licence-Plate Search Uncovered in Project South Investigation

By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi & Emmanuel Ayiku
GhanaianNewsCanada | September 29, 2026

TORONTO — A Toronto Police Service constable caught up in the massive Project South investigation has pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a computer after conducting a licence-plate search through confidential police databases for a former employer.

Const. Elias Mouawad, who joined the Toronto Police Service relatively recently, entered the guilty plea Monday in a Toronto court.

The case has attracted attention because Mouawad was one of several current and former Toronto police officers arrested as part of Project South, an investigation led by York Regional Police into alleged corruption, organized crime and the misuse of confidential police information.

However, court proceedings have drawn an important distinction between Mouawad’s conduct and some of the much more serious allegations at the centre of the wider investigation.

According to an agreed statement of facts presented in court, Mouawad conducted the licence-plate search for a former boss in the private security industry. Information from that search was subsequently relayed to an alleged organized-crime figure.

There is no evidence that Mouawad knew the information would be used in connection with criminal activity, according to the court reporting.

His lawyer, Peter Brauti, argued that the officer should not be viewed as a corrupt police officer involved in the wider Project South allegations because his conduct consisted of a single unauthorized database check.

The Crown, however, argued that Mouawad knowingly violated his police responsibilities and that a sentence was necessary to deter other officers from improperly accessing confidential information.

Justice Catherine Rhinelander has reserved her decision on sentencing.

Mouawad is scheduled to return to court on October 19.

What did Const. Mouawad plead guilty to?

Mouawad pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized use of a computer.

A second charge of breach of trust was withdrawn as part of the plea arrangement.

The charge arose from a licence-plate search Mouawad carried out using confidential Toronto Police Service databases.

At the time, he was still relatively new to the police service.

According to court documents, Mouawad had previously worked for a private security company and maintained a relationship with his former boss, identified in court reporting as Daljit Singh.

The agreed statement of facts says Singh asked Mouawad to conduct a licence-plate search.

Mouawad subsequently used police computer systems to look up the plate of a Black Chevrolet Tahoe rental vehicle.

The search was not authorized for a legitimate policing purpose.

That unauthorized access ultimately became part of the Project South investigation.

How investigators discovered the search

Project South began in June 2025, following an alleged attempted murder involving a member of the corrections system in Ontario.

Investigators working backward from that case uncovered information suggesting that police officers may have been improperly accessing confidential databases and passing information to people connected to organized crime.

York Regional Police subsequently conducted a wide-ranging investigation involving police officers, alleged organized-crime figures and other suspects.

During the investigation, authorities obtained judicial authorization to conduct wiretaps on several individuals.

Those wiretaps eventually captured communications involving Mouawad and his former employer.

According to the agreed facts presented in court, Singh asked Mouawad to conduct the licence-plate search.

Mouawad questioned why the information was needed.

Singh reportedly told him that they simply wanted to confirm whether they had identified the correct people.

Mouawad then conducted the search.

Less than an hour later, investigators observed an alleged organized-crime figure, Brian Da Costa, entering the same vehicle that had been identified through the licence-plate search.

The circumstances surrounding the vehicle and the people connected to it remain part of the broader criminal investigation.

Mouawad says he did not know the reason behind the request

One of the central issues in Mouawad’s case is what he knew when he conducted the search.

According to the agreed facts, Mouawad said he did not believe there was anything criminal about the request.

He told investigators that he carried out the search because Singh had previously been a caring employer when Mouawad worked for his security company.

The court has not heard evidence establishing that Mouawad knew the search was connected to organized crime or a planned criminal act.

That distinction was emphasized by his lawyer.

Peter Brauti argued that his client had effectively been swept into a much larger investigation even though the conduct underlying his guilty plea was limited to the unauthorized computer check.

Defence argues Mouawad should not be treated as part of wider corruption allegations

Brauti told the court that Mouawad’s name had become associated with Project South because of his arrest, even though the evidence against him is different from the allegations facing some other accused officers.

The lawyer argued that his client conducted a single unauthorized search and did not knowingly assist a criminal organization.

He asked the court to consider a conditional discharge, which could allow Mouawad to avoid a criminal record if he complies with court-imposed conditions.

A conditional discharge is different from a conviction resulting in a criminal record and can be available in certain circumstances where the court determines it is appropriate.

Brauti also emphasized the effect the case has already had on his client’s career.

Mouawad has been suspended without pay since his arrest and has lost approximately $75,000 in wages, according to his lawyer.

Crown seeks four-month conditional sentence

The Crown took a different position.

Prosecutor Sam Walker asked the court for a four-month conditional sentence followed by 12 months of probation, according to Global News and CityNews reporting.

The Crown argued that Mouawad’s conduct represented a deliberate breach of his responsibilities as a police officer.

Walker told the court that the officer knowingly violated his oath and that his actions allowed criminals to obtain police information, even if Mouawad did not personally intend for the information to be used for criminal purposes.

The prosecution’s argument focuses on the importance of protecting police databases and maintaining restrictions around sensitive information.

Police officers have access to information that is not available to the general public, including information that can identify individuals, vehicles and investigations.

Unauthorized access can therefore create risks even when an officer does not intend to facilitate a criminal act.

Mouawad apologized in court

At the conclusion of Monday’s proceedings, Mouawad read an approximately eight-minute apology letter in court.

He accepted responsibility for his actions and expressed regret over the consequences.

He also spoke about his desire to return to policing.

Mouawad said he hoped that he would eventually be able to return to a police vehicle and continue contributing to the community.

The apology formed part of his submissions as the court considers the appropriate sentence.

Justice Rhinelander has not yet announced the sentence.

Project South is much larger than Mouawad’s case

Although Mouawad’s guilty plea is connected to Project South, the investigation itself is significantly broader.

York Regional Police have described the investigation as a major probe into alleged corruption and organized crime involving members of the Toronto Police Service and civilian suspects.

The investigation has resulted in charges against eight current and former Toronto police officers, according to the latest reporting, alongside nearly 20 other suspects.

The allegations include unauthorized access to police information, breach of trust, theft, drug trafficking and offences related to violence.

The charges against the other accused individuals remain allegations and have not been proven in court.

Another former Toronto officer already pleaded guilty

Mouawad is the second Toronto police officer connected to Project South to plead guilty.

In July, former Toronto police constable Derek McCormick pleaded guilty to theft under $5,000 and breach of trust relating to the theft of found property.

McCormick was originally facing six charges, but several were withdrawn as part of the resolution of his case.

He later received a conditional sentence.

According to earlier reporting, the property involved included personal identification documents such as driver’s licences, health cards and passports. A substantial amount of the property was recovered.

The circumstances of McCormick’s case differ from those involving Mouawad, although both arose within the wider Project South investigation.

The officer at the centre of the broader police-corruption allegations

One of the more significant figures in the investigation is Toronto Police Constable Timothy Barnhardt.

Investigators allege that Barnhardt improperly accessed confidential police databases and provided information to individuals connected to organized crime.

The alleged information-sharing is one of the elements that investigators believe connects the police side of Project South to the broader criminal network.

Barnhardt remains in custody after unsuccessful attempts to obtain bail, according to current reporting.

The allegations against him have not been proven in court.

Alleged organized-crime connections

The Project South investigation has also involved individuals accused of serious organized-crime offences.

Among them is Brian Da Costa, who faces multiple charges and has been identified in reporting as an alleged large-scale drug trafficker.

Da Costa was released on bail earlier in the case, but that release was subsequently revoked following a bail review.

His application for another bail review was dismissed Monday, according to the Globe and Mail report reproduced in secondary reporting.

The allegations against Da Costa and the other accused remain before the courts.

Why unauthorized police database searches matter

The Mouawad case illustrates why police information systems are subject to strict access rules.

Police databases contain information that can potentially reveal the identity, location, vehicle or personal details of individuals connected to investigations.

If such information reaches people who are not authorized to receive it, it can potentially compromise police investigations or place people at risk.

The Crown’s argument in Mouawad’s case therefore goes beyond the particular licence-plate search.

It concerns the broader principle that police officers must use confidential information only for legitimate policing purposes.

Even where an officer does not intend to assist criminals, unauthorized disclosure can have consequences because the officer cannot control what another person does with the information.

The investigation has raised questions about police oversight

Project South has also prompted broader questions about how police services protect sensitive information and identify inappropriate database activity.

The investigation uncovered allegations involving multiple officers, although the specific circumstances differ from one accused person to another.

That distinction is important.

Being charged in connection with Project South does not automatically mean that an officer participated in the most serious allegations associated with the investigation.

Mouawad’s guilty plea demonstrates this distinction particularly clearly: he admitted to unauthorized computer use, while his lawyer has maintained that he was not involved in the wider alleged corruption and organized-crime activity.

The court will ultimately determine the consequences of his conduct.

What happens next?

Mouawad’s sentencing has not yet been finalized.

The Crown is seeking a four-month conditional sentence followed by 12 months of probation, while the defence has argued for a conditional discharge.

The judge has reserved the sentencing decision and scheduled Mouawad to return to court on October 19.

Meanwhile, the wider Project South proceedings continue.

Several other accused officers and civilian suspects remain before the courts, with allegations ranging from unauthorized access to police systems to serious organized-crime and violence-related offences.

Those cases will have to be determined individually through the criminal justice process.

A guilty plea, but not an admission to the wider Project South allegations

Mouawad’s guilty plea should therefore be understood in its proper context.

He has admitted responsibility for one specific offence — unauthorized use of a computer.

His separate breach-of-trust charge was withdrawn.

The court has not found him guilty of participating in the broader allegations of organized crime, attempted murder or police corruption that form part of Project South.

According to the evidence reported from Monday’s proceedings, there is no indication that he knew the licence-plate information he accessed would be passed to people involved in criminal activity.

The wider investigation remains active, and the charges against other accused individuals have not been proven in court.

The case nevertheless highlights the seriousness with which Canadian authorities treat unauthorized access to police databases and the potential consequences for officers who misuse confidential information.

As Project South continues through the courts, Mouawad’s sentencing on October 19 will provide the next major development in his individual case.