A Toronto police officer involved in a recent investigation into police corruption and organized crime has admitted guilt to two charges out of the six brought against him. Derek McCormick, part of the group of officers under scrutiny in Project South, confessed to theft under $5,000 and breach of trust for stealing found property in court. The guilty plea comes with a conditional sentence of 10 months, with McCormick, now retired, awaiting sentencing by Justice Jonathan Bliss.
The remaining four charges, which include three additional counts of theft under $5,000 and one count of obstruction of justice, are slated to be dropped according to court records. Project South, initiated in June 2025 by the York Regional Police, uncovered a plot to kill a corrections management member at an Ontario correctional facility.
During the seven-month investigation, it was revealed that officers had unauthorized access to information, which was then shared with criminals involved in violent crimes, such as shootings. Apart from the police officers, 19 other individuals from the Greater Toronto Area face various charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and multiple drug trafficking offenses.