Toronto officer accused of stealing deceased person's wallet, luxury watch appears in court

A Toronto police officer accused of stealing a deceased person's credit and debit cards, as well as a luxury watch, asserted his innocence in court on Tuesday.

About two years ago, on the evening of Feb. 18, 2022, Toronto Police Service Const. Boris Borissov was called to investigate the apartment of a missing man, where he discovered a suicide note upon arrival.

As they continued searching the home, Borissov found an empty box for a Tag Heuer watch. His phone records reveal he Googled the brand’s name shortly after.

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"I saw the empty watch box, and I was curious about watches," Borissov told the court on Tuesday.

Photos of a Tag Heuer watch, however, were taken on Borissov's phone later that same evening. Borissov assured the court it was "absolutely not" the watch from the deceased man's home.

"It's a photo of the watch," he said. "This is a watch that I had in my house."

Two months later, in April 2022, Borissov was also charged for allegedly taking a credit card linked to a separate missing person and giving it to a man, identified as Zvedzdomir Mollov, who subsequently used it to make a purchase at a Mississauga store. Following further investigation, police then discovered the officer and man fraudulently obtained vehicles together using the stolen credit card from the missing man, who was later found deceased.

On Tuesday, the court heard how Borissov found the deceased's wallet inside a jacket. He told the court he was concerned the wind that day would "blow the jacket away," which prompted him to bring the coat to his scout car. The TD credit card and American Express card, however, were later discovered at Mollov's home.

Borissov repeatedly denied stealing the cards when he was asked by his lawyer, Joanne Mulcahy. He also denied ever giving Mollov the cards.

As for how these stolen items made it to Mollov's home, Borissov said the "best [he] can think of" is that they had fallen inside his vehicle after he walked to Mollov's car to get himself a sandwich while he had the deceased's wallet.

Borissov pleaded not guilty to charges of theft, fraud, breach of trust by an official, obstruction of justice, and unauthorized use of a computer system. The police veteran of 16-years has been suspended with pay since February 2022.