Court documents reveal that the alleged plot to target a prison official, which sparked the investigation known as Project South involving police corruption and organized crime, was orchestrated by suspects using fake identities on an encrypted messaging platform.
The suspects reportedly utilized the Signal app to exchange personal details and images of the intended victim, a high-ranking corrections officer at Toronto South Detention Centre, whose identity is shielded by a publication ban, just days before the purported assassination attempt.
According to a factum submitted by Crown prosecutors in Ontario Superior Court, seized cellphones revealed conversations that implicated an alleged gun-for-hire network in plotting the attack.
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The investigation into Project South was initiated in June 2025 after York Regional Police intervened in the alleged murder plot by intercepting the suspect vehicle, which collided with a police car stationed outside the official’s residence.
Initially, close to 30 individuals were charged in connection with Project South, including seven active Toronto police officers and a retired constable. One officer, now retired, pleaded guilty last month while one civilian’s charge was dropped.
‘Need the hit squad’
On June 16, 2025, Dequon Lemonious, allegedly known as “Danny Phantom” on Signal, purportedly asked Median Jackson, using the alias “Lebron James,” to verify the presence of a vehicle at a specific address, hinting at a potential hit job.