Second Toronto officer pleads guilty in Project South probe

Toronto Police Const. Elias Mouawad pleaded guilty Monday to one count of unauthorized use of a computer, becoming the second officer charged in the Project South corruption investigation to enter a guilty plea. A breach-of-trust charge was withdrawn. Mouawad, 24, admitted he ran a licence-plate search in January for a former employer, Daljit Singh, after Singh asked for the plate for “his boy.”

Crown prosecutor Samuel Walker told court Mouawad had worked as a security guard for Singh before joining the force and believed the request was not linked to criminality. Walker said there was no evidence of other unlawful queries or intent to commit further misconduct. Defence lawyer Peter Brauti said his client had sought to plead guilty soon after charges and argued the single unauthorized check was unrelated to the probe’s more serious alleged drug, corruption and violence strands.

Project South began in June 2025 after an alleged attempted hit linked to the Toronto South Detention Centre and later encompassed allegations involving several current and former officers. Former constable Derek McCormick pleaded guilty in July to theft and breach of trust. Mouawad, suspended without pay since his February arrest, apologized in court. Sentencing is set for Oct. 19; the Crown seeks a conditional sentence with house arrest and curfew, while the defence seeks a conditional discharge.