'Completely unworthy of belief': Toronto cop who stole credit cards, luxury watch from the dead found guilty
A veteran Toronto police officer was found guilty this week of stealing credit cards and a $6,500 watch from the deceased individuals he was tasked with investigating.
An Ontario judge found Const. Boris Borissov guilty Wednesday of all 15 charges laid against him in connection with five incidents that occurred between 2020 and 2022, including being in possession of a stolen Honda Pilot and misusing a police database to assist an accomplice in fraudulently acquiring vehicles.
In her decision, Justice Mary Misener concluded that Borissov’s testimony was “completely unworthy of belief” and wrote that the police officer’s story made “no sense” at least a dozen times.
“I have found in respect of each count that the only reasonable inference that could be drawn from the totality of the evidence was that Mr. Borissov committed the offence charged,” she said in a written decision obtained by CTV News Toronto.
“His evidence was riddled with lies, inconsistencies and evasions. I reject it. It does not raise a reasonable doubt as to his guilt.”
The incidents
On Feb. 18, 2022, Borissov and another officer were called to the apartment of a man who was reported missing and later found to have committed suicide.
A court heard that while Borissov was investigating, he stole the man’s debit card, which was used by an associate named Zvezdomir Mollov at a Missisauga butcher shop the next day.
The Crown told the court Borissov attended the butcher shop and downloaded the surveillance footage of Mollov and submitted a false police report in an attempt to obstruct justice.
Borissov also took a TAG Heuer wristwatch, valued at $6,500, from the deceased individual’s apartment and tried to sell lit, the Crown said. The watch was never found.
In his testimony, Borissov argued that the TAG Heuer watch box was empty when he arrived at the apartment. He also said the only reason his phone records revealed he had Googled the brand’s name after the search was because he was “curious about watches.”
As for how Borissov came to be in possession of the deceased's wallet, he told the court he found it inside a jacket discovered at the waterfront during the investigation and was concerned the wind that day would "blow" it away, which prompted him to bring the coat to his scout car.
Const. Boris Borissov takes the stand at his trial.
In a separate incident, Borissov was investigating the death of a woman in May 26, 2020 when he stole her credit card and gave the information to an unknown individual who then used it to make fraudulent purchases, the court records show.
Borissov was arrested on April 11, 2022.
During the trial, the court heard that Borissov was in possession of a stolen Honda Pilot at the time of his arrest, a vehicle he had obtained from Mr. Mollov that was equipped with a GPS jammer. Borissov was also convicted for his involvement in Mollov’s “scheme” to obtain vehicles by fraud, which saw the Toronto cop misuse police databases to “ensure that the scheme went undetected.”
Borissov , who pleaded not guilty to the charges, is a 16-year veteran of the police service and has been suspended with pay since February 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Iran President Ebrahim Raisi found dead at helicopter crash site, state media says
Iranian president, the country’s foreign minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after a search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country’s northwest.
The push to Parliament's summer hiatus is about to begin, here's what you need to know
When MPs file back in to the House of Commons on Tuesday, it will be for the final five-week parliamentary push before hitting the barbecue circuit. Looking ahead to what could be a raucous rush to the summer hiatus, CTVNews.ca spoke with top House representatives to get a sense of what's atop their priority list.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Monday he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in connection with their actions during the seven-month war between Israel and Hamas.
Red Lobster seeks bankruptcy protection with US$100 million in financing commitments
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
Your kids' ultraprocessed food consumption may put them at higher risk, study shows
The ultraprocessed foods your kids eat now may be putting them at greater risk for cardiometabolic problems – like heart attack, stroke and diabetes – in adulthood, a new study suggests.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.