Ontario cop pleads guilty of diverting half a million dollars in business to private company

If you haven't been following the violent saga of Toronto's tow truck turf wars, the story is definitely worth a deep dive, with all the makings of a Netflix series: Streetside fist fights, arson, shootouts and even murder.

Also part of the drama is a heavy dose of police misconduct, it's been revealed, with one officer just sentenced for his role in showing preferential treatment to certain players in the game.

I’m actually in the process of laying charges against a tow truck driver. Also small claims court for the illegal funneling by the tow truck driver (who has storage/impound space at collision center itself) to a collision center that has multiple records of fraud & my 💩 reapairs

— Teresita, RN (Proudly Vaxxed X3) 🇨🇦 (@RaptorsGirl99) May 26, 2020

Ontario Provincial Police Constable Bindo Showan admitted in court earlier this month that he helped two companies make upwards of $500,000 in revenue by calling them specifically in cases of vehicle impounds after traffic offenses rather than letting the driver choose or contacting "the first available truck," as he was supposed to do per the force's policy.

Adding more intrigue to the tale is the fact that the companies the officer partnered with are owned by one man, Sutheshkumar Sithambarpillay, who actually starred in a Discovery Canada reality TV show Heavy Rescue: 401.

"The fact that this was a highly competitive industry rife with problems should have resulted in the police behaving with scrupulous care. rather than being part of the solution, however, Mr. Showan became part of the problem," the judge overseeing the officer's case wrote.

"To make matters worse, he did so in the face of specific and repeated warnings not to show favouritism to any tow truck companies."

Ontario police announce new rules for notoriously corrupt and violent tow truck industry https://t.co/5bwUSrp3Ph #Ontario #Police

— blogTO (@blogTO) September 29, 2021

Showan, who is 59, was slapped with a suspended sentence in court yesterday, for which he will do time outside of custody. He is also being suspended with pay and will be facing further punitive action at work, up to potentially being fired.

Three other members of the OPP are being similarly investigated, while hundreds of charges have been laid in relation to the industry corruption.