New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell indicted for fraud and bodyguard scandal

Federal authorities indicted New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell on Friday as the charges against her, pertaining to fraud, conspiracy and obstruction were slapped against her. This will mark the end of turbulent mayorship, which was already tumbling under the weight of her affair with her bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie.

Vappie was paid by the city as if he was on duty even when he met Cantrell alone in apartments or traveled with her to vineyards for wine tasting. Cantrell is the first female mayor in New Orleans’ 300-year history. Vappie has pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and making false statements, as reported by CNN.

Cantrell bodyguard fraud case

Prosecutors accuse Vappie of hiding the relationship and filing false payroll records claiming he was working. Vappie retired from the police department last year and is scheduled to stand trial in January. Federal prosecutors said Cantrell and Vappie exchanged encrypted messages through an app to hide their relationship, then deleted them.


Both Cantrell and Vappie have said their relationship was strictly professional. Simpson called it a “three-year fraud scheme that exploited their public authority and positions.” The pair met in an apartment while Vappie claimed he was on duty. Cantrell arranged for him to attend 14 trips, described as “times when they were truly alone”, as per the CNN report.

In 2021, the indictment says Cantrell and Vappie developed a personal and intimate relationship and allegedly used their positions to defraud the city. Simpson said Cantrell lied in an affidavit about activating a phone feature that deletes messages. She said she activated it in 2021, but it was actually December 2022.

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When a private citizen took photos of them dining and drinking wine together, Cantrell filed a police report and sought a restraining order. Cantrell’s office did not respond to The Associated Press for a comment. Cantrell is term-limited and will leave office in January. She clashed with city council members during her second term and survived a recall effort in 2022.

Cantrell political trouble updates

Monet Brignac, spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell, said, “This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans… Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cantrell family.” Cantrell hasn’t posted on her official social media feed since July 15, as stated by CNN.

Cantrell’s public profile has taken a beating; and she has lost a chunk of her supporters as curtains drawn upon her term. Her power as a Mayor was also diminished after changes in the city charter, and many of her early achievements have been forgotten in the wake of a string of avoidable controversies.

Cantrell and her allies say she has been unfairly targeted as a Black woman and treated differently than male officials. She claimed earlier this year she faced “very disrespectful, insulting, in some cases kind of unimaginable” treatment, as mentioned by CNN report.

FAQs

Q1. Why was New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell indicted?
She was indicted for conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction over hiding a relationship with her bodyguard.

Q2. Who is Jeffrey Vappie in the Cantrell case?
Vappie is Cantrell’s bodyguard accused of filing false payroll records and hiding their personal relationship.