NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted Friday on federal conspiracy, fraud and obstruction charges based on accusations that she tried to hide a romantic relationship with her bodyguard, who was paid as if he was working even when they met alone in apartments and traveled to vineyards for wine tasting.
The indictment is the culmination of a long-running federal investigation into the first female mayor in the city’s 300-year history.
Her bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, has pleaded not guilty following his indictment on charges of wire fraud and making false statements. He is accused of hiding a romantic relationship with Cantrell and filing false payroll records claiming he was on duty. Vappie, who retired from the police department last year, is scheduled to stand trial in January.
Federal prosecutors have accused Vappie and Cantrell of exchanging encrypted messages through an app to avoid detection and then deleting the conversations. The mayor and Vappie have said their relationship is strictly professional.
Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson called it a “three-year fraud scheme that we allege exploited their public authority and positions.”
They met in an apartment while Vappie claimed to be on duty, and she arranged for Vappie to attend 14 trips, Simpson said. The trips were described by her as times “when they were truly alone," he said.
In 2021, “Cantrell and Vappie developed a personal and intimate relationship. To hide their relationship and to maximize their time together, Cantrell and Vappie exploited their public positions to develop and implement a scheme to defraud” the city, the indictment states.
Simpson said Cantrell lied in an affidavit that she activated a function on her phone that automatically deleted messages in 2021 when she really didn’t active that feature until December 2022, one month after the media began speculating on the pair’s conduct.
When a private citizen took photos of the pair dining together and drinking wine, Cantrell filed a police report and sought a restraining order, he said.
The mayor’s office didn’t immediately respond to a phone message or email from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Cantrell, who is term-limited, will leave office in January. The Democrat has clashed with City Council members during a turbulent second term and survived a recall effort in 2022.
“This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,” said Monet Brignac, a spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cantrell family as they navigate through this difficult time.”
Cantrell hasn’t sent out a message on her official feed on X, formerly known as Twitter, since July 15, when she said the city was experiencing historic declines in crime.
As she heads into her final months in office, Cantrell has alienated former confidants and supporters, and her civic profile has receded. Her early achievements were eclipsed by self-inflicted wounds and bitter feuds with a hostile city council, political observers say. The mayor’s role has weakened following voter-approved changes to the city’s charter meant to curb her authority.
Cantrell and her remaining allies allege that she’s been unfairly targeted as Black woman and held to a different standard than male officials, her executive powers sabotaged. Earlier this year, Cantrell said she’s faced “very disrespectful, insulting, in some cases kind of unimaginable” treatment.
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Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas.
Jim Mustian, Jack Brook And Heather Hollingsworth, The Associated Press
