New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted on Friday on charges of conspiracy, fraud and obstruction, in what federal prosecutors described as a years-long effort to hide a romantic relationship with her police bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie, according to a report published by The Associated Press.
The indictment, handed down less than five months before Cantrell is due to leave office on account of term limits, alleged that Vappie was paid by the city for time he claimed to be on duty, while he was actually alone with the mayor in apartments or travelling with her, including on trips to wine country and Martha’s Vineyard.
“This is extremely significant,” Acting US Attorney Michael Simpson said, per AP. “Public corruption has crippled us for years and years.”
15,000 Encrypted Messages
Prosecutors, for their part, reportedly said Cantrell and Vappie exchanged over 15,000 encrypted WhatsApp messages, many of which were deleted in what Simpson described as efforts to conceal the relationship and mislead federal investigators.
“The times when we are truly (travelling) is what spoils me the most,” Cantrell allegedly texted Vappie during a 2022 trip to Martha’s Vineyard, which she attended instead of a scheduled Miami conference, the report said.
Simpson also accused Cantrell of lying about when she activated an automatic message-deleting feature on her phone, claiming that she had enabled it in 2021 when it actually began in late 2022 — after media began raising questions.
Misuse of Public Funds
According to the indictment, city taxpayers covered over $70,000 in travel expenses for Vappie, as reported by The Associated Press. He has also been accused of wire fraud and false statements, and has pleaded not guilty.
The City of New Orleans released a statement saying the mayor’s attorney is reviewing the indictment and would not comment further.
Political Fallout and Reactions
Meanwhile, Cantrell’s allies argued that she has been targetted unfairly as a Black woman and held to a different standard than her male counterparts. Simpson hit back, reportedly saying, “It is irrelevant that it is romance or that it’s female. It’s an incredible betrayal of people’s confidence in their own government.”
City Council President JP Morrell’s spokesperson, meanwhile, called it “a sad day for the people of New Orleans.”
