Toronto cop pleads guilty to unauthorized computer access in Project South probe

Const. Elias Mouawad pleaded guilty Monday to unauthorized access of a computer, becoming the second Toronto police officer to enter a guilty plea in the Project South corruption probe.

Mouawad, 24 at the time of the incident, used a device in a police cruiser on January 19 to search for a licence plate at the request of a former employer for whom he had worked as a security guard. He was unaware of who the information would be shared with or what purpose it would serve. Arrested on February 4, Mouawad was initially charged with two offences: unauthorized access and breach of trust. The Crown withdrew the breach of trust charge Monday.

The Crown is seeking a four-month conditional sentence: two months of house arrest followed by two months of curfew from midnight to 6 a.m., plus a minimum of one year of probation. Defence lawyer Peter Brauti called the Crown's position "disproportionate" and asked for a conditional discharge. Mouawad's parents were present in the Ontario Superior Court when he entered his plea.

Project South began in June 2025 when York Regional Police thwarted an alleged plot to kill a senior corrections officer at the Toronto South Detention Centre. The investigation found officers unlawfully accessed information that was funneled to criminals who carried out shootings and other violent offences. Six Toronto police officers, one retired constable and 19 civilians face charges in the probe, which has become one of the largest corruption cases in the city's police history. Former officer Derek McCormick pleaded guilty in June to theft and breach of trust, receiving a 10-month conditional sentence in July.

A sentencing date for Mouawad has not been set.