Toronto cop in Project South corruption probe gets conditional discharge

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A Toronto police officer charged in connection with Project South, a massive police corruption probe, received a conditional discharge on Monday.

Late last month, Const. Elias Mouawad pleaded guilty to unlawfully using a police computer system following a corruption investigation involving eight current and former Toronto cops.

The Crown had withdrawn a breach of trust charge against Mouawad.

His conditional discharge requires him to complete one year of probation and 100 hours of community service.

Following his sentencing, CityNews reported that Mouawad’s lawyer said his client was relieved the criminal proceedings were over.

“He was a small fish in what’s clearly a big case and he just wants to move on with his life and his career,” lawyer Peter Brauti said, according to CityNews.

Cop ensnared in Project South probe

According to an agreed statement of facts, Mouawad used the Toronto Police Service’s computer system to conduct an unauthorized licence plate search for a friend.

York Regional Police launched Project South in 2025 to investigate allegations of corruption within the Toronto Police Service and alleged ties between some cops and organized crime.

Details of the probe emerged earlier this year, revealing an alleged plot to kill a senior corrections officer. The investigation resulted in charges against 27 people, including eight current and former Toronto cops.

As the Toronto Sun first reported, Mouawad had no direct involvement in the Project South probe and was more accurately described as “collateral damage.”

Of the eight cops charged, Mouawad is the one most likely to keep his job, police sources told the Sun. He intends to fight to keep his job at a police tribunal.

“This is one of the minor ones,” a source close to the investigation told the Sun. “As his lawyer said, he was not a part of Project South.”

The source added: “Hopefully he’ll be able to keep his job with this outcome. It was a mistake. He learned the hard way. Hopefully he can overcome it.”

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