A Toronto police officer implicated in the Project South investigation was scheduled to enter a guilty plea in Ontario Superior Court on Tuesday, as confirmed by his defense attorney. However, the proceedings were postponed due to the emergence of “sensitive information” that could impact the case.
Constable Elias Mouawad faces charges of unauthorized use of a police computer system and breach of trust, stemming from an extensive police corruption and organized crime probe that began in February. His lawyer, Peter Brauti, requested a delay in court to investigate certain conduct that could affect the sentencing process.
Crown prosecutor Samuel Walker agreed to the adjournment, clarifying that the conduct under scrutiny does not involve the Crown’s actions. Walker acknowledged the recent development, stating, “I agree that things need to be looked at.”
Following the court session, Brauti refrained from disclosing further details regarding the new information or its potential implications on the case. Instead, he emphasized that his client should not have been associated with Project South initially.
Brauti expressed, “Unfortunately, when details were made public, it wrongly portrayed our client as being involved in serious misconduct alleged in Project South, which is not the case. This officer conducted a single unauthorized check, unrelated to the allegations of drug-related offenses or corruption.”
Project South was launched in June 2025 when York Regional Police thwarted an alleged plot to harm a senior corrections officer at the Toronto South Detention Centre. During this investigation, it was revealed that Toronto police officer Timothy Barnhardt had reportedly disclosed confidential information about a senior correctional officer to a civilian, who subsequently shared it with others involved in the purported murder plot. This led to an expansion of the probe to include additional instances of alleged police corruption linked to organized crime.
In total, six Toronto police officers, one retired constable, and 19 civilians are facing charges in connection with Project South. One former Toronto police officer has already pleaded guilty to two charges in the investigation and received a 10-month conditional sentence in July.
Court records indicate that Mouawad is accused of conducting an unlawful inquiry of a license plate in January and passing on the information to a civilian implicated in the same investigation. While the charges against both individuals have not been litigated in court, Brauti stated that his client intends to enter a plea.
“My client has expressed his willingness to take responsibility since the time of his arrest,” Brauti affirmed. “Unfortunately, due to delays, his plea has been postponed for nearly seven months, which has hindered the public’s understanding of the actual nature of our client’s actions and the relatively minor misconduct he engaged in.”
Mouawad is scheduled to appear in court again on September 16.