York regional police deputy chief Ryan Hogan speaks during a press conference to announce the results of Project South on Thursday.Jon Blacker/The Canadian Press
The seven Toronto police officers charged in the Project South corruption probe, as well as one recently retired officer who was also charged, have had varied careers.
Some were veteran investigators, but one of the accused has only been with the service a little more than a year. Some had been given postings in specialized units, but others have faced multiple disciplinary hearings.
Three of them had declared bankruptcy at some point.
None of the eight men could be reached for comment. The seven officers who were still with the force have been suspended.
Constable Timothy Barnhardt, 56, of Mississauga
A 19-year police veteran at 12 Division, Constable Barnhardt faces 17 charges.
The criminal counts filed against him include accepting a bribe as a peace officer, breach of trust, conspiracy to obstruct justice, unauthorized use of computer and five drug-trafficking counts for cocaine, Oxycodone, Xanax, Adderall and MDMA.
Constable Barnhardt was the first officer whose conduct came under scrutiny after an alleged attempt by several suspects to kill a correctional manager in June.
Investigators allege that on several occasions Constable Barnhardt accessed a police database to supply information to a criminal network, including the correctional officer’s address.
Constable Barnhardt has a disciplinary record, pleading guilty in September, 2016, to one charge of discreditable conduct.
A disciplinary hearing heard that he had parked outside a used-car lot in May, 2015. When the owner asked him to move, Constable Barnhardt lost his temper and falsely accused the man of running a red light.
The hearing was told that, until then, Constable Barnhardt had received good performance reviews. He received a team commendation in 2013 after he and two other officers helped residents out of a smoke-filled burning apartment building.
In 2007, Constable Barnhardt stopped a motorist in west-end Toronto because he was “driving too cautiously,” according to a court ruling. Constable Barnhardt and another officer found a bag of crack cocaine in the vehicle.
The driver complained that he was profiled because he is a Black man. A judge ruled that the officers had arbitrarily detained the man and unlawfully searched his car. The driver was acquitted.
Constable Barnhardt earned $149,092 in 2024. He filed for bankruptcy in 1991 before he was an officer, declaring that he owed $41,080 but only had $350 in total assets.
Constable Derek McCormick, 57, of Toronto
The 28-year veteran was assigned to the downtown 52 Division but had previously been a member of an RCMP-led joint task force investigating organized crime.
Constable McCormick faces six criminal charges – four counts of theft under $5,000, along with accusations of breach of trust and obstruction of justice.
He was already suspended with pay three weeks before Project South was made public after he had been arrested by his own police service.
Investigators allege that, on several occasions last October, Constable McCormick stole property delivered to his police station rather than record the items into a log.
Property that he allegedly kept included bank cards, passports and other government-issued identification documents.
Public records show that, from 2015 to 2020, and again from 2022 to 2023, Constable McCormick worked as a plainclothes officer.
History shows police corruption is challenging for Canada
During the summer of 2020, Constable McCormick took part in a major drug investigation by the RCMP-led Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, code-named Project OSwordtail. He was one of the officers who conducted covert surveillance, following a suspect as he drove from a warehouse to his home.
In 2024, Constable McCormick earned $149,092 in wages and benefits.
He filed for bankruptcy in 2009 because he had more than $44,000 in liabilities and less than $20,000 in assets. He cited “high child-support payments” as the reason for his financial difficulties.
John Madeley Sr., 55, and his son, Constable John Madeley Jr., 29, of Barrie, Ont.
The elder Mr. Madeley, a former constable, is charged with breach of trust by a public officer, four counts of unauthorized use of a computer, possession of a firearm at an unauthorized place, possession of a prohibited device, possession of a prohibited weapon, and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000
Constable Madeley Jr. is charged with breach of trust by a public officer and unauthorized use of computer.
Mr. Madeley Sr. spent 29 years with the police force, before retiring last April. When his son joined the force in 2022 – the third John Madeley in the family to do so – the beaming father told TV reporters it was the proudest day of his life.
Mr. Madeley Sr. was disciplined on multiple occasions over the course of his career, according to tribunal documents, including for drinking and driving in 2008 (a criminal charge was stayed by the Crown); and for misusing a police cruiser in 2011 to get to a police association meeting while he was a union steward at 12 Division (driving with lights and sirens flashing, running red lights and driving on the shoulder).
He was charged with misconduct twice in 2023 for allegedly mishandling police equipment. In the first instance, he allegedly left his service revolver on the trunk of his car when he pulled out of the police-station parking lot after his shift. A colleague later found it in the middle of the road, along with a magazine and 14 rounds of ammunition. That same year, he was charged after accusations that he lost or misplaced his police-issued iPhone and took months to report it. He retired before those cases could be resolved.
In January, Mr. Madeley Sr. was charged in an extortion investigation by York Regional Police’s Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau, in partnership with the South Simcoe Police Service. In a media release, YRPS alleged that the “former Toronto police officer” and his co-accused – Thomas Phippard, who police say uses the alias “Frank the Tank” – worked with an organized-crime group responsible for unlawful gaming and betting activities.
Seven Toronto police officers and one retired officer were charged as part of a complex investigation into organized crime and corruption.
Reached by text message Thursday, Mr. Madeley Sr.’s wife, Sharon, shared a statement with The Globe that she had posted to social media about the case.
In the post, she reflected on her husband’s decades of commitment as a police officer and the toll the job takes on a family.
She referenced the iPhone incident, describing it as an honest mistake that “became the tool used to destroy reputations.”
She also described the morning of the arrests, as York Regional Police officers arrived with a battering ram, pounding on her door, asking for her husband.
“In that moment, terror took over. When police arrive at your door like that, your mind goes to one place: my son has been killed in the line of duty. As a police wife and the mother of a serving officer, that fear is immediate and visceral. My heart broke as I woke my husband and brought him downstairs, still believing the worst.”
Sergeant Robert Black, 42, of Vaughan, Ont.
Sgt. Black faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, possession of cocaine and Adderall for the purpose of trafficking, and counselling someone to commit the offence of fraud over $5,000.
The Project South charges are not the first time Sgt. Black has run into trouble. In 2024, he was charged with misconduct under the Police Services Act in relation to not properly completing reports after communicating and meeting with a confidential informant.
The alleged misconduct occurred “on numerous occasions” while he was a detective constable in the guns and gangs task force and drug squad between 2019 and 2022, according to a hearing notice from the Toronto Police Service. It also continued after he was promoted to sergeant and transferred to 14 division, the document says.
The case is still in front of the disciplinary tribunal, a Toronto Police spokeswoman said. The next appearance is scheduled for March 3 and none of the allegations have been proven.
Sgt. Black has been with Toronto Police for 19 years. He had worked in the unit that oversees the response to emergency events. He received a salary of $153,569 in 2024, according to Ontario government records.
Constable Elias Mouawad, 24, of Mississauga
Constable Mouawad faces charges of breach of trust by public officer and unauthorized use of a computer.
Constable Mouawad declared bankruptcy a month ago, according to his bankruptcy file.
He listed total assets of $35,697, most of which was in cash, and liabilities of $64,651, including $58,334 in unpaid federal taxes, in a statement of affairs form dated Dec. 30.
In the form, Constable Mouawad cites “financial mismanagement” as the reason for his financial difficulty.
“I took some overtime work due to which my income was higher than expected. I sought help to file taxes from another person, and they filed my taxes incorrectly due to which I owe money to CRA for personal income tax,” he wrote on the form.
Constable Mouawad proposed paying at least $986 a month for five years to repay his debt, according to the documents.
He has been with Toronto police for the past year and a half and was assigned to 11 Division.
Constable Saurabjit Bedi, 38, of Caledon, Ont.
Constable Bedi faces two charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice as well as one charge each of conspiracy to commit public mischief by falsely accusing a person, peace officer conspiracy to accept a bribe, conspiracy to traffic in a substance, and traffic in a substance.
Constable Bedi has been with Toronto Police for 12 years and is assigned to 12 Division. He made $162,036 in 2024, according to the provincial government’s sunshine list.
Constable Bedi was the subject of a lawsuit by a woman involved in a head-on collision with him in 2014 in Caledon, according to court documents. Constable Bedi denied any fault or negligence. The case was dismissed in 2018.
In 2019, Constable Bedi had another car accident and was involved in a dispute over insurance benefits for neck and back injuries.
He applied to an adjudicator, the Licence Appeal Tribunal – Automobile Accident Benefits Service, for additional health benefits coverage, but it found that his injuries were minor and subject to a $3,500 maximum.
In a 2023 decision, the tribunal dismissed Constable Bedi’s claim for additional coverage for chronic pain, noting that he didn’t mention the accident or complain about injuries when he saw his doctor several days after the collision. It also noted that he “returned to his full-time employment as a police officer three to four days subsequent to the accident.”
Sergeant Carl Grellette, 49, of Vaughan
Sgt. Grellette faces four criminal charges, including breach of trust. He has 19 years of service in the Toronto police and was working out of 12 Division.
In 2024, he earned $164,566 in wages and benefits. He was a plainclothes officer from 2017 to 2019, then a detective between 2022 and 2023.
With research from Stephanie Chambers