Police have alleged Ford ‘crack’ video
Posted October 31, 2013 3:46 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – A police document says an alleged video that appears to show Toronto Mayor Rob Ford using crack cocaine was the focus of an investigation that led to dozens of arrests.
The voluminous document released Thursday morning details evidence police collected in order to get a search warrant for Ford’s friend and occasional driver Alessandro (Sandro) Lisi.
The alleged video was the focus of “Project Traveller” that led to dozens of arrests in June.
Lisi, 35, was arrested on Oct. 1, as part of “Project Brazen 2,” and charged with four criminal offences, including trafficking marijuana. He was later released on bail. Lisi was arrested once again Thursday, and is scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall to face new charges of extortion on Friday Nov. 1, at 9 a.m.
Ford has been under intense scrutiny since May after American gossip site Gawker.com and the Toronto Star reported seeing a video that shows the mayor allegedly smoking crack cocaine.
680News hasn’t seen the video and cannot verify its authenticity.
Ford has repeatedly said he does not use crack cocaine and that the alleged video does not exist.
The document also states that Toronto police Det.-Sgt. Gary Giroux was assigned to the case to investigate the alleged video.
Moreover, the 474-page document — some of the pages blacked out — also suggests that as police were conducting surveillance, they obtained photos of Lisi in several meetings with the mayor in different locations, including at an Etobicoke gas station, at football games and official functions.
The documents detailed information that police submitted in order to conduct a search warrant that led to Lisi’s arrest.
Earlier Thursday morning, Ford refused to comment on the release of the document, shouting at reporters gathered outside his house to “get off” his property.
Later Thursday morning, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair said police are in possession of a recovered “digital file” that contains images of Mayor Rob Ford previously reported in the media.
Lisi under police surveillance
According to the document, police were conducting surveillance on Lisi and on June 26 saw him meet with Ford at a soccer field.
They spoke for a few minutes then Lisi returned to his vehicle, retrieved a white plastic bag appearing to contain some items, put some cans of Minute Maid in it, then Lisi put the bag in Ford’s SUV, then walked back to meet up with Ford, the documents allege.
On July 11 Ford is seen on surveillance cameras parking at a gas station then walking straight to the washroom. Shortly after, Lisi arrives at the gas station. Lisi is seen walking near the mayor’s SUV holding a manila envelope.
“Lisi appears to be looking around, possibly scoping out the area,” the document says.
Lisi is then seen walking along the passenger side of the mayor’s vehicle then goes out of the surveillance tape frame and isn’t seen again. Ford spends about six minutes in the washroom then buys a pack of gum and drives away.
On July 28 police watched Lisi and Ford meet behind a school. After they left police seized garbage that Ford threw out and it contained two empty vodka bottles.
Arguments for documents’ release
Lawyers for various media organizations argued it was in the public’s interest to know the details within the warrant document.
The counterargument was that innocent third parties, who have not been charged, should have a say as to whether the information is released.
Judge Ian Nordheimer ruled Wednesday there was no reason to give notice to those so-called third parties.
“There is a much larger agenda at play. The Lisi investigation does involve the mayor,” media lawyer Peter Jacobsen said who’s acting on behalf of the Globe and Mail and other media outlets.
“We all know that he’s a friend of the mayor’s. The whole issue I say is in the public interest. On top of that, it was what was put before the judge.”
The document, known as an Information to Obtain or ITO, is an affidavit that is filed by police in order to obtain a search warrant, Jacobsen explained. It is a public document.
After the decision, Jacobsen said “we are entitled to see the material that the Crown does not want redacted, and that no other parties are entitled to notice of this.”
The portions of the document that will remain under sealing order, at least until lawyers make further arguments next month, refer to innocent third parties not related to the essential narrative of the Lisi investigation. The Crown says those sections should not be made public.
–With files from Kevin Misener and The Canadian Press
Your reaction
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