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LaToya Cantrell indictment: New Orleans mayor, Jeffrey Vappie face conspiracy, wire fraud charges
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and her former bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, were indicted on Friday after a long corruption investigation
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and her former bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, were indicted on Friday after a long corruption investigation. WDSU reporter Cassie Schirm cited court documents to reveal that the two face a series of charges, including conspiracy and wire fraud. The reporter posted photos of the documents on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
According to Schirm, charges against Cantrell include conspiracy, wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, false statements, and obstruction of justice. Officials are yet to reveal the complete set of charges.
Earlier in the day, Cantrell’s lawyer, Eddie Castaing, confirmed to The Associated Press that an indictment was returned, and her name was read aloud by a federal magistrate judge as a defendant. The New Orleans mayor is yet to respond to the charges.
The indictment on Friday comes after a long-running investigation into Cantrell, New Orleans' first female mayor, and her former bodyguard.
Cantrell, a Democrat who is term-limited, will leave office in January after a turbulent second term. Her tenure has been overshadowed by disputes with the City Council, a failed 2022 recall effort, and voter-approved changes to the city’s charter that curtailed her authority.
Her relationship with former allies has frayed, and her public profile has diminished. Cantrell last posted on her official X account on July 15, touting “historic declines in crime.”
“This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,” said Monet Brignac, spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cantrell family as they navigate through this difficult time.”
Cantrell and her supporters contend she has been unfairly singled out as a Black woman in office, held to different standards than male leaders, and undermined in her executive role. Earlier this year, she described the treatment she’s faced as “very disrespectful, insulting, in some cases kind of unimaginable.”
