A young officer, arrested with a disgraced Winnipeg police constable for stealing money and items they thought were evidence during a 2024 “integrity test,” has entered a guilty plea. Matthew Kadyniuk, aged 34, confessed to breach of trust and theft under $5,000 in a Winnipeg court session on Friday. This came shortly after Elston Bostock, his co-accused, pleaded guilty to multiple offenses spanning several years.
The incident occurred within an internal investigation into Bostock, triggered by reports of his involvement with individuals outside the police force engaged in illegal activities and sharing sensitive police information. The investigation culminated in a staged scenario in October 2024, where the officers were covertly recorded responding to a supposed vehicle break-in.
Kadyniuk, currently on suspension without pay from the Winnipeg Police Service, faces a pending sentencing hearing. His defense counsel anticipates requesting a suspended sentence for him. The court acknowledged the gravity of the situation, emphasizing the seriousness of the charges.
During the orchestrated event leading to their arrest, an undercover RCMP officer posed as a victim, handing over a backpack to the officers under surveillance. The bag was placed in their police cruiser, equipped with a camera capturing their subsequent actions and conversations. The video evidence, released after Bostock’s sentencing, revealed the duo’s unlawful activities, including taking cash and sharing it, before returning some items to the backpack.
The arrested officers subsequently took the bag to the police station, where it was later seized along with the money spent at a restaurant. Not all the items originally in the backpack were recovered during the investigation, necessitating a search of Bostock’s residence.
Bostock and Kadyniuk were apprehended in November 2024, with Bostock being removed from the police force. Other officers implicated in the case are awaiting court proceedings.