A video that reportedly shows Toronto Mayor Rob Ford 鈥渃onsuming what appears to be a narcotic鈥� was filmed in February, according to a newly released police document.
The document summarizes the case against Alexander 鈥淪andro鈥� Lisi, a friend of the mayor who is charged with extortion over his alleged attempts to obtain the video from people he believed were trying to sell it. It also includes more details about how and when the video was recorded.
鈥淒uring the month of May 2013, the accused before the court became aware of the existence of a video that depicted the Mayor of Toronto in a compromising intoxicated position. The video appears to show the Mayor of Toronto consuming what appears to be a narcotic,鈥� the court document says.
鈥淭he video was filmed surreptitiously in the month of February 2013 of the Mayor without his knowledge. The Mayor was apparently in the company of several individuals at the time of the recording.鈥�
The video, now in the hands of police, purportedly shows Ford smoking what is believed to be crack cocaine. The Toronto Star and U.S. gossip website Gawker reported about the video鈥檚 existence and contents late in the evening of May 16.
Ford told CP24鈥檚 Stephen LeDrew on Tuesday that he has done crack 鈥渕aybe once, I can鈥檛 even remember.鈥�
The document alleges that Lisi became aware of the video鈥檚 existence before that date, but was unable to get his hands on it before the Star and Gawker stories were published.
The police document was filed ahead of a hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, in which lawyers for several media outlets, including 麻豆传媒, will argue for the release of more of the redacted information contained in a police application for a search warrant for Lisi.
None of the allegations contained in the new document have been tested or proven in court.
The information contained in the new document appears to contradict an admission by Ford that he smoked crack cocaine about a year ago 鈥減robably in one of my drunken stupors.鈥�
When asked about the new document Tuesday in the interview with LeDrew, Ford replied: 鈥淟et鈥檚 see this video once and for all please. They keep talking about a video, they鈥檝e spent millions of dollars following me, but I haven鈥檛 been charged.鈥�
The new document alleges that Lisi 鈥減laced several threatening/extorting phone calls to individuals he felt may be in possession of the video recording.
鈥淭he accused insinuated that there would be consequences for the failure to return the video recording depicting the video images of the Mayor.鈥�
The document says Lisi was 鈥渦nsuccessful in obtaining the video, and some media outlets reported on its existence.鈥�
The document confirms comments made on Halloween by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair that the video was found within deleted files on a laptop investigators seized during raids related to Project Traveller, a guns and gangs investigation, on June 13.
The video was not discovered until Oct. 29, the document says, and police arrested Lisi two days later and charged him with extortion.
The two victims of the alleged extortion were Liban Siyad and Mohamed Siad, who were both arrested during the Project Traveller raids.
The document describes Lisi as 鈥渁n associate of the Mayor of Toronto,鈥� and says the mayor 鈥渉as described the accused as a personal friend of his.鈥�
In his interview with LeDrew on Tuesday, Ford would not discuss Lisi鈥檚 case or the nature of their relationship. He said that 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know Mr. Lisi two years ago.鈥�
However, in a reference letter he wrote for Lisi in early June, Ford says he has known Lisi 鈥渇or several years.鈥�
