Toronto police say they have charged several men in connection with an investigation into “high profile Instagram accounts” that have been posting recordings of court proceedings online in February.
In a statement released Monday, investigators said the postings are alleged to have obstructed justice and intimidated a witness.
On Feb. 23, police said accounts under the names “thehood6ix” and “thewarinda6ix” posted photos of a witness who was virtually testifying during a preliminary hearing.
On Feb. 24, investigators said both of the above accounts along with Instagram accounts “straightouttathe6ixtv” and “keep6ixsolid” posted audio recordings of the same witness.
The proceedings were under a publication ban, police said.
On Nov. 4, officers executed several search warrants at different locations in Toronto and Brampton and arrested suspects believed to be involved in posting the content.
Twenty-year-old Brampton resident Kyle Stephens, 24-year-old Toronto resident Mohammed Abdalla and 40-year-old Toronto resident Afrah Mohamed were charged with multiple offences including intimidation of a justice system participant and obstruction of justice.
Mohamed was also charged with numerous firearm charges as investigators found a firearm with a high-capacity magazine and ammunition during the search warrants.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-4300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.