In 2004, McCormack was charged with corruption and discreditable conduct under the Police Services Act of Ontario for allegedly being involved with a reputed organized crime affiliated, drug-addicted, used-car salesman; however those charges were later dropped. Then in 2008 another discreditable conduct charge against McCormack was also dismissed, that charge stemming from McCormack having, for his own purposes, recorded Toronto Star reporter John Duncanson while he was being held in a cell after an arrest for public drunkenness. It was not until September 2009, the same day that David Miller announced that he would not be running for a third term as Mayor of Toronto, that McCormack was convicted of insubordination under the police act for improperly, and for purposes not related to law enforcement, accessing Duncanson's records in the police database. Duncanson had previously penned numerous stories involving Toronto Police for the Star and was the award-winning investigative reporter who, in 2005, uncovered illicit activities by six members of 51 Division's drug squad. The fine for McCormack's insubordination conviction was 40 hours pay; however, since McCormack had already been elected to the Toronto Police Association, the pseudo-union for Toronto Police officers and civilian employees, by the time he was sentenced, he cannot be compelled to pay the fine because, although he's technically still a Toronto Police officer, he's currently on secondment to the and is paid by them; so the is unable to deduct the fine from his wages and, except through payroll deductions, has no legal power to compel payment; but the money would eventually be collected if McCormack ever returned to active duty with the Service.