Two OPP officers charged in tow-truck corruption investigation

Two veteran Ontario Provincial Police officers have been charged criminally regarding corruption in the local tow truck industry.

Insp. Steve Grosjean, 62, of the Mississauga detachment and Const. Bindo Showan, 57, of the 407 Detachment have each been charged with breach of trust while Showan has also been charged with accepting secret commissions.

That makes a half dozen GTA police officers who have been criminally charged this year with corruption regarding the towing industry, including one charged with “obtaining sexual service for consideration.”

“This still remains an ongoing investigation,” Bill Dickson of the OPP said on Thursday.

In addition to the corruption allegations, there have been at least four homicides, multiple shootings, scores of tow trucks set on fire and firebombings in the GTA towing industry over the past two years. On Tuesday night, two tow trucks were found ablaze near Victoria Park and O’Connor Drive.

A warrant was sworn for Showan last month when the OPP charged two other veteran constables for allegedly taking bribes while four other OPP officers, including two senior inspectors, were suspended with pay but not charged.

Last week, Toronto police Const. Ronald Joseph, 48, of was hit with 13 charges related to corruption in the tow truck industry, including attempted fraud over $5,000; counselling an indictable offence not committed; fraud over $5,000; forgery; public mischief; uttering a forged document; conspiracy to commit fraud and counselling to commit an indictable offence.

Another veteran Toronto officer was among 11 people charged last June in a crackdown on corruption in the towing industry, as police alleged that towing companies used illegally obtained encrypted police radios to gain an advantage over their competition.