A Toronto police officer who admitted to unlawfully accessing a computer service during the Project South police corruption probe received a conditional discharge on Monday.
Elias Mouawad, 25, performed an unauthorized licence plate check at the request of a former employer, as stated in an agreed fact summary for the case.
A conditional discharge indicates that Mouawad was found guilty but will avoid having a criminal record if he follows the terms of his one-year probation, which includes completing 100 hours of community service.
He was among several officers charged in Project South, an extensive investigation into police corruption and organized crime spearheaded by York Regional Police.
Mouawad’s attorney Peter Brauti, who advocated for a conditional discharge, noted that his client feels relieved and wants to move on from this incident.
“He was someone who really shouldn’t have been part of Project South,” Brauti remarked outside court on Monday.
“He wasn’t involved in any serious wrongdoing alleged in that larger case, but he got caught up in it and he was just a small player in what is clearly a big issue.”
Defence lawyer Peter Brauti argued for a conditional discharge for his client Elias Moawad, who is seen wiping away tears in Ontario Superior Court on Sept. 28, 2026. (Pam Davies/CBC)
The Crown requested a four-month sentence – two months under house arrest followed by two months with curfew – along with at least one year of probation.
Brauti countered that such measures would adversely affect Mouawad’s job opportunities and increase the risk of him being demoted or dismissed by the Toronto police.
“He made an error right from the start. He confessed it at the time of his arrest so he’s accepting full responsibility,” Brauti said regarding his client.
“Now he has the chance to attend a disciplinary hearing and fight for his position. And he plans to do so because being a police officer has always been his dream.”
Mouawad expressed regret during September plea hearing
When Mouawad entered his guilty plea last month, he shed tears as he read an apology letter aloud in court and vowed to improve himself.
“I devoted myself wholeheartedly to serve others and be the best police officer I could be,” he said.
“The road is long but not impossible. I will do everything in my power to rebuild what was lost.”
The court learned that Mouawad worked as a security guard before becoming a police officer; his former employer-who is also facing charges related to Project South-asked him to perform the licence plate search.
They communicated via Face Time on January 19th, which York Regional Police monitored according to the agreed statement of facts.
Their conversation involved discussing details about a licence plate associated with someone linked to numerous past RCMP substance trafficking investigations at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
When Mouawad asked whom the information was for, his former boss assured him that he knew this person and claimed there would be no repercussions for conducting the search.
Court documents indicated that Mouawad wasn’t aware of who would receive the search results or how they would be used.
Eventually, this information reached Brian Da Costa, an alleged drug dealer central to the corruption investigation who remains incarcerated.
Project South launched after suspected murder scheme h2 >Project South commenced in June 2025 when York Regional Police disrupted an alleged plot targeting a senior corrections officer at Toronto South Detention Centre.
During their investigation , York police uncovered allegations against a Toronto police officer accused of leaking confidential details about this jail official to Da Costa.
An aerial view of York Regional Police officers thwarting an alleged attempted murder of a senior corrections officer on June 20 ,2025.(York Regional Police)
Da Costa allegedly passed this information onto individuals tied up with an apparent gun-for-hire network distributing data relatedto those involvedin themurder plot.
The claims surrounding Da Costa have yettobe assessedin court.
As investigations widened , they began addressing other supposed instancesofpolicecorruption linkedto organized crime.
Initially , seven active Toronto policemen , one retired constable , and19 civiliansfaced chargesrelatedto Project South.
Beforehisarrest, Mouawadhadtwoandahalfyearsofserviceasapoliceofficerandwas suspended withoutpayon February4.
< pclass= "paragrph- b4gxdhtlm_paragrapdabcoupjdmrmtomhe i s second Toryoto poicfofficer pleadguiltyinthelastinvestigationofproject South In July, reignedconstable Derek Mc Cormick pleadedguiltytotwocounts.
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