Toronto Police Service officer Const. Timothy Barnhardt was denied bail during a provincial court appearance in Toronto on Feb. 6 as he faces multiple criminal charges stemming from an internal corruption probe.
Defence succeeded in securing protective custody for Barnhardt during the Feb. 6 bail hearing, meaning he will be kept separated from the general jail population for his safety.
Police said an internal corruption investigation called Project South was launched last June, leading to the arrest of 19 civilians as well as the seven active-duty TPS officers and the retired officer. Hogan said it began when police discovered an alleged plan to murder a member of management at an Ontario corrections institute in his home.
“Over a 36-hour period, a number of suspects attended this member’s home in York Region, we allege, for the purpose of murdering him,” Hogan said.
“As investigators pieced together the events leading up to this crime, it was determined that a Toronto police officer, Constable Timothy Barnhart, had unlawfully accessed confidential information about the victim. We allege that this officer then released the information to a Mr. Brian Da Costa, and from there, it was released further into other criminal networks.”
Hogan said that Da Costa is allegedly tied to a criminal network that operates in the Greater Toronto Area and is allegedly tied to international organized crime. Sixteen criminal charges were announced against Da Costa Feb. 5 as a result of Project South, including for allegedly bribing a peace officer, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and multiple counts of drug trafficking.
Police allege that several other organized crime figures allegedly helped by the officers are also tied to other murder conspiracy cases and a shooting in Vaughan, Ont.
The charges haven’t yet been tested in court.
Fallout
TPS Chief Myron Demkiw called the case “the most concerning and most significant professional standards internal affairs matter” of his career and said it is “of an incredible magnitude and an incredible seriousness.”He added that all seven TPS officers are suspended from work and he is seeking to make four of those suspensions unpaid. Barnhardt is reportedly on an unpaid suspension.
“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,” Demkiw said.
Hogan detailed how more than 400 officers worked on Project South and called it “among the most complex and challenging investigations of my 28 year policing career.”
In addition Barnhardt, various charges were also laid against Sgt. Robert Black, retired Const. John Madeley Sr. and his son Const. John Madeley Jr., as well as Sgt. Carl Grellette, Const. Saurabjit Bedi, Const. Derek McCormick, and Const. Elias Mouawad.
Police note that the investigation remains ongoing.
Barnhardt’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 19, while Da Costa is scheduled to have a bail hearing Feb. 9. The bail status of the seven other officers accused in the case has not been publicly disclosed.
