Seven Toronto Police Service officers and a retired constable are among 27 people charged in one of the largest investigations into police corruption Canada has ever seen – a probe that began after an alleged plot to kill an Ontario corrections officer was uncovered last year.
The allegations have rocked the civic institutions of the country’s largest city – prompting calls for accountability from municipal leaders, casting doubt on an unknown number of legal cases the accused officers may have investigated, and shaking the staff of one of its biggest jails, where a popular superintendent was allegedly targeted for murder with the help of a fellow law-enforcement officer.
The officers are accused of leaking information to organized crime figures, accepting payoffs and protecting drug trafficking networks. Investigators said some of the unlawfully accessed data was shared with gang members, who used it for extortion and shootings around Southern Ontario as part of turf wars in the tow-truck industry.
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“This is a deeply disappointing and sad day for policing,” York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween, whose force led the investigation that involved assistance from several hundred officers, told reporters on Thursday. “And it shows the insidious and corrosive nature of organized crime.”
Charged in the corruption probe are Constable Timothy Barnhardt, Sergeant Robert Black, retired constable John Madeley Sr., his son Constable John Madeley Jr., Sgt. Carl Grellette, Constable Saurabjit Bedi, Constable Derek McCormick and Constable Elias Mouawad. The allegations against these officers, which include conspiracy to obstruct justice, accepting bribes, breach of trust, theft and drug trafficking, have not been tested in court. None of the officers could be reached for comment.
Seven Toronto police officers and one retired officer were charged as part of a complex investigation into organized crime and corruption.
The allegations follow a period of increased scrutiny of Toronto’s police force, after multiple official reviews, criticism over delayed response times and a request for an additional $93.8-million to be added to its $1.43-billion operating budget in 2026.
The corruption probe was launched in June after an alleged murder plot against a Toronto jail manager was foiled by police. Investigators said a deputy superintendent’s personal information was allegedly shared with hitmen, who were caught on video outside the man’s home in York Region, and arrested after a late-night car crash into a police cruiser parked in his driveway. Investigators allege that prior to this incident, Constable Barnhardt had unlawfully accessed a police database and shared confidential information with men “known to various criminal networks.”
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Officers at the jail learned of the attempted hit on their colleague shortly after it happened, according to two correctional sources, whom The Globe is not naming because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The deputy superintendent was said to be well-liked among rank-and-file officers for clamping down on drugs and other contraband entering the facility.
York Deputy Chief Ryan Hogan said several of the accused police officers were also allegedly involved in fentanyl and cannabis trafficking by “providing protection” against enforcement. Others were accused of theft of personal property from a police facility – including driver’s licences, passports and health cards, he added. When asked whether there could be more arrests, he stressed that the investigation is continuing.
Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the charges are proof of the police service’s commitment to restoring the public’s trust. He said the officers have all been suspended, and “where appropriate,” some will be off the job without pay.
Toronto Police chief Myron Demkiw addresses media during a press conference at the York Regional Police headquarters in Aurora, Ont., on Thursday.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
Under Ontario’s former Police Services Act, an officer wouldn’t get paid only if they were convicted of an offence and sentenced to prison. But a new law allows chiefs to suspend without pay if an officer is in custody or on bail with conditions that would interfere with their ability to do their job, or if the officer is charged with a serious off-duty offence.
“This is a painful and unsettling moment,” Chief Demkiw said. “No corner of society is immune from the reach of organized crime, but when organized crime penetrates the Toronto police service, the harm goes far beyond the immediate wrongdoing.”
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the allegations demand systemic changes inside the 8,500-strong Toronto police force, and called on Chief Demkiw to earn back the public’s trust. She said Torontonians “deserve to know that the police officers they deal with every day can be trusted, not corrupt, and acting with integrity.”
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Inside Toronto Police headquarters at a news conference Thursday, City Councillor Shelley Carroll, chair of the Toronto police’s civilian oversight board, said she was disturbed by the charges. She urged people to have faith that fundamental changes can be made to the police service. She said she had “the utmost confidence in our chief,” and added that the board has requested a formal review by the inspector-general of policing for Ontario.
“I can sympathize with how people are feeling,” Ms. Carroll said, surrounded by reporters. “I had the same sense of shock.”
At least four of the officers have previous disciplinary history, according to records provided by Toronto Police. Mr. Madeley Sr., now retired, was accused 15 years ago of racing a police cruiser across the city using sirens and driving on the shoulder of a highway on his way to a union meeting. He was docked two days’ pay for his actions.
Chief Demkiw said the charges are proof of the police services’ commitment to restoring the public’s trust.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail
He was also charged with drinking and driving in Newmarket in 2008 but those charges were stayed by the Crown. Last month, Mr. Madeley Sr. was charged in connection with an illegal gambling extortion probe.
Constable McCormick, who was formerly assigned to the RCMP-led Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, was arrested three weeks ago, and accused of stealing government-issued IDs, bank cards, passports and other documents.
Sgt. Black was charged with misconduct in 2024 relating to not properly completing reports after his meetings with a confidential informant, while posted to the guns and gangs task force and drug squad.
Constable Barnhardt pleaded guilty in September, 2016, to one charge of discreditable conduct after he had an argument with the owner of a used-car lot and falsely accused the man of running a red light. Constables Barnhardt, McCormick and Mouawad have all previously declared bankruptcy. Joanne Mulcahy, a lawyer for Constable Barnhardt, declined to comment.
Also charged as part of the investigation are 19 civilians. Investigators allege some of this group used bribes to get restricted personal information from police, which was used as part of extortion plots.
Those charged include Brian Da Costa, Elwyn Satanowsky, Kaejean Doman, Median Jackson, Devonte Barker-Campbell, Almar Heath, Calvin Ru, Rimssen Younan, Daljit Singh, Brandi Dixon, Robinson Alexandre, Ashor Bato, Donald Kirkland, Ryan Cribbie, Phillip Lecos, Jennifer Jasey and Mahyar Soldouzi, along with two unnamed youth. Some of them have previous criminal histories for robbery, gun charges, stolen vehicles and violent assaults.
Police allege Mr. Da Costa, 43, was a key figure in the corruption probe and was involved in a sophisticated drug trafficking network with international ties that was moving large amounts of cannabis, oxycodone, MDMA and painkillers. When he was arrested on Jan. 23, officers seized 169 pounds of cannabis, Deputy Chief Hogan said.
In October, Mr. Doman was also charged after shootings at four homes in Vaughan, including the former house of murdered tow-truck driver Alexander Vinogradsky, and three shootings in August in Brampton and London, Ont.
It’s not the first time Toronto Police have dealt with a corruption probe. In 2001, they launched a special task force to investigate allegations that one of their drug squads had gone rogue, executing searches without warrants and roughing up drug dealers. Five officers were convicted of attempting to obstruct justice in 2012.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the allegations disturbing but said people shouldn’t lose faith in their police service because of “a few bad apples.”
“I don’t want to paint a broad brush or tarnish the police. We have phenomenal police officers. When they get sworn in and they get their badge, they have a duty, and it’s very disappointing to hear what’s been going on, but I don’t want the public to lose trust in our great police, because they are incredible,” he said.
While the provincial Liberals are calling for a full independent judicial inquiry, the Premier said it should be up to the courts and police leadership to decide how these allegations are handled. He said Chief Demkiw was “doing an incredible job leading one of the largest police services in the entire country, and we’ve hit a little bump in the road.”
Rima Amri, a spokesperson for Ontario’s police inspectorate, said Inspector-General Ryan Teschner “recognizes the seriousness of these matters, and the public trust concerns they raise,” and is considering the police board’s request for a review.
With reports from Colin Freeze, Laura Stone, Mariya Postelnyak, Carrie Tait, Matthew Scace, Jesse Winter and Stephanie Chambers