Four Peel police officers pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempting to obstruct justice for lying in court about stealing a wooden statue of Scarface character Tony Montana from an accused drug dealer’s storage unit in downtown Toronto.

As part of the plea agreement, the four veteran officers all submitted their resignations to the Peel Regional Police last month.

Calling it a “dark chapter” in the service’s history, Superior Court Justice Bruce Durno agreed to a joint submission by the Crown and defence lawyers that former major drugs and vice unit officers Richard Rerrie, 48, Mihai Muresan, 38, Emanuel Pinheiro, 44, and Damian Savino, 39, each receive a one year conditional sentence, six months to be served under house arrest.

Perjury and theft charges were withdrawn.

On June 23, 2014, the officers were executing a search warrant on a storage locker rented by Lowell Somerville, whom they had arrested earlier on suspicion of drug trafficking.

When Somerville was released on bail, he discovered some of his possessions were missing, including a one-metre, “one-of-a-kind” hand-painted statue of the fictional drug dealer Tony Montana, who was portrayed by Al Pacino in the 1983 movie Scarface. Somerville also alleged that $60,000 and jewelry were missing from the storage unit.

During three separate court proceedings, the officers denied seizing any item from Somerville’s storage locker.

Prior to the start of his trial, Somerville’s lawyer, Kim Schofield, brought a motion asking for a stay on the basis of an abuse of process relating to the alleged thefts from the storage locker.

Schofield obtained surveillance footage of the officers leaving the storage facility with a covered object. Rerrie told court he had taken a standing space heater from the storage area that had a “free” or “take me” sign. The other three officers all testified they had no recollection of Rerrie carrying a large object out of the facility, Crown attorney Peter Scrutton said Tuesday reading from an agreed statement of facts.

Justice Jennifer Woollcombe concluded constitutional breaches had occurred and stayed Somerville’s drug trafficking charges. “She was satisfied that the officers were aware that Const. Rerrie had taken the statue and had provided deceptive testimony about it. She was unable to conclude on a balance of probabilities that the officers had taken the other items that Mr. Somerville alleged were stolen,” Scrutton said.

Peel police initiated an internal affairs investigation leading to perjury, theft and obstruct charges against the officers in June 2018. They had been suspended with pay since May 31, 2017.

Schofield, whom Durno praised for her “diligence and skilful” work in uncovering the deception, was in Brampton court Tuesday listening to the proceedings, as was Somerville, who indicated he had not recovered the Tony Montana statue nor replaced it.

During his submissions, Scrutton told court the officers did not make off with the movie memorabilia for financial gain, or to help build the case against Somerville. Rather, the prosecutor said, it appeared to have been an “impulsive” and “stupid and sophomoric prank.”

The lawyers for the four officers recounted their clients’ exceptional policing records, noting none had any disciplinary history. All said the men have suffered massively for their misconduct, mostly because it has brought their policing careers to an end.

Schofield said she didn’t accept that the theft was a “prank.”

Asked if she was satisfied by the result, Schofield sighed and said, “No.”

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“But I think with all the things considered, it’s a resolution that it’s better than nothing,” she added, “and most importantly is that you have four police officers that perjured themselves … no longer working as police officers.”

Schofield added that Woollcombe — who stayed the charges against her client — also didn’t find it was a “silly prank,” but that “they stole it, they lied about it, and she didn’t reject the fact that they may have taken other things.”