Toronto police have charged four men — including three current and former TTC employees — with several offences, including theft and fraud of equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Officers raided six properties in Toronto, Mississauga and Penetanguishene on Wednesday and arrested three Mississauga men — Amadeo Cuschieri, 55, Maciej Zych, 49, and Steve Cuschieri, 34 — and a Toronto man named Dan Doron, 50, who never worked for the TTC.

They face a number of offences, including fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, conspiracy to commit an indictable offence and breach of trust. The current TTC workers arrested have been suspended with pay.

Police have warrants out for the arrests of two other TTC employees: John Barrie Mulhall, 66, of Toronto, and Lorenzo Lamanna, 56, of Uxbridge, and TTC CEO Andy Byford warned of “more arrests and charges to follow.”

Wednesday’s raids arose from a “lengthy internal investigation” dating back to 2008. TTC management dealt with the problem on its own until the fall of 2013, when there was enough evidence for police to get involved.

It’s alleged, over the course of several years, the accused used public money to buy tools, welders and other hardware with the intention of setting up a company which would bid for a multimillion-dollar TTC contract.

“I have given direction to my executive team that they are to offer any and all resources required by investigators to flush out others who may have been party to these crimes,” Byford said in a memo to staff.

“It is true that incidents like these are isolated … But it is also true that when these incidents occur, the public’s trust in us is eroded.”

Byford said he is creating a Whistleblower Policy and a Code of Ethics and mandating ethics training for all supervisory and management staff this fall. He has also ordered a forensic audit of TTC practices and policies.

“As you may know it was one of the TTC’s own employees who revealed the alleged impropriety,” said TTC chair Maria Augimeri.

“That person should be commended and in that spirit we will strengthen protections for employees who wish to be of similar assistance.

“The vast majority of the TTC’s employees are hard-working, conscientious women and men who are extremely proud of the work they do for our public service.”

Notice to All TTC Employees