Democratic Mayor Indicted by Grand Jury
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A federal grand jury has indicted New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, concluding a lengthy corruption probe into the city's first female mayor.
Cantrell's attorney, Eddie Castaing, confirmed to The Associated Press that an indictment was returned Friday, with her name read aloud in federal court as a defendant. The specific charges have not yet been disclosed.
The indictment caps a years-long investigation into the two-term Democrat, whose tenure has been marked by both early achievements and deep political turmoil. Cantrell, who is term-limited, will leave office in January after surviving a 2022 recall effort and enduring frequent clashes with the City Council during a turbulent second term.
Once a high-profile leader credited with major city initiatives, Cantrell's public presence has diminished in recent months. She has not posted on her official X account since July 15, when she highlighted "historic declines" in crime. Political observers say her influence has waned, weakened further by voter-approved changes to the city charter that curbed her powers.
Former allies and supporters have drifted away amid what critics call self-inflicted wounds and escalating feuds with the council. Cantrell and her remaining backers contend she has been unfairly targeted as a Black woman and subjected to a harsher standard than male leaders, accusing opponents of undermining her authority.
Earlier this year, Cantrell described her treatment as "very disrespectful, insulting, in some cases kind of unimaginable."
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
26 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Metco, nearly 60, at crossroads amid search for next leader
Advertisement There also are growing parent demands for Metco to hold accountable its participating districts, following a number of allegations of 'We need someone that can speak out against the things that are being done that are wrong, and speak out against things that don't promote education,' said Dorchester mom Vanesa Morales, whose two children have participated in the Metco program. State Representative Christopher Worrell, who graduated from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School through Metco, said he wants to see the nonprofit and its next leader play a larger role in breaking down racial barriers in the state. 'Metco could be, and should be, bigger than just busing inner city kids to the suburbs,' said Worrell, who has two children attending Newton schools through Metco. 'It should be the main focal point of race relations and be a leader on race relations.' Advertisement Metco (officially the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity) began in 1966 as a coalition of Boston parents and a handful of suburban school districts who agreed to bus predominantly Black children from the city into wealthier, suburban communities in hopes of obtaining a better academic experience. Today, the Metco program spans 33 communities around the state and enrolls about 3,000 students. (There is also a separate Springfield program for that sends about 100 students to four Western Massachusetts communities.) Since its inception, Metco has had two leaders, including Jean McGuire, who helped found Metco and served as CEO until late 2016, when she said she During Arbaje-Thomas's tenure, the state added about $8 million to the program's annual budget, for a total of nearly $30 million per year in state funding, and changed its enrollment process Related : That plan includes several commitments by member districts, including offering inclusive, antiracist school environments, personalized support for academic and postgraduate success, and equal inclusion in extracurricular activities. A search committee is working with a Advertisement Darnell Billings, 'At this time, no decisions have been finalized regarding the hiring of a new President & CEO. We are continuing to follow a deliberate and thorough process, and additional information will be shared publicly at the appropriate time,' Billings said in a brief email. By several measures, the Metco program is successful. Researchers in separate studies have found students enrolled in suburban districts through Metco perform better academically than their peers in Boston Public Schools. Metco students have had a higher graduation rate than their Boston peers, or the state as a whole, state data show. A greater percentage of Metco students also plan on attending college. A The program 'brings much-needed diversity to suburban districts and makes friendships, dialogue, and learning across race more possible,' the committee's report said. Meanwhile, in suburban districts, achievement gaps among Metco students persist, state testing data show. Domingos DaRosa, a Boston resident whose daughter attends high school in the Concord-Carlisle regional district, resigned last November as the School Committee's Metco parent representative, he said, after administrators and the board failed to listen to Black and Latino students, and didn't address his concerns about achievement gaps. 'The face of Metco Inc. has to be the individual who represents the students' interests,' DaRosa said, referring to the organization by its formal name. Advertisement Daniel Gutekanst, the superintendent in Needham and a member of the Metco Inc. board, said school administrators in member districts are taking reports of racist harassment seriously, and are working to address achievement gaps through the Metco 2.0 effort. 'I acknowledge there are problems, and there are problems in Needham,' said Gutekanst, who declined to speak about the search process. 'I also know there is a commitment among superintendents and Metco directors [in school districts] to really move the ball forward, and really make sure our classrooms are inclusive, that kids feel welcomed, and that they're achieving at high levels.' Several of Nita Holder, who sent her then-13-year-old son to Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School through Metco in 2023 and 2024, The purpose of Metco is 'not only to support the families of Boston,' Holder said, 'it's to educate the suburban towns and cities about what it means to be a young Black boy, a young Black girl, coming from the city of Boston, and trying to navigate a whole other culture.' John Hilliard can be reached at
UPI
26 minutes ago
- UPI
New Orleans mayor indicted for fraud over police relationship
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell is facing federal wire fraud and conspiracy charges after being indicted this week along with a former member of her security detail for an alleged relationship. File Photo by Shawn Fink/EPA-EFE Aug. 16 (UPI) -- New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell is facing federal wire fraud and conspiracy charges after being indicted this week along with a former member of her security detail. Cantrell and retired New Orleans Police Department officer Jeffrey Vappie were both indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and other charges after Vappie was allegedly paid for official duty while the two were engaged in "personal activities," according to a statement issued by the Justice Department. Authorities contend the two began a relationship in 2021, during which time Vappie was paid as an on-duty member of Cantrell's personal security team. Vappie retired in 2004. "They embarked on a scheme to defraud the City of New Orleans and NOPD by exploiting Vappie's job and Cantrell's authority as Mayor to have the City and NOPD pay Vappie's salary and expenses during times Vappie claimed to be on duty but when the was actually engaged in personal activities, often with Cantrell," the Justice Department indictment reads. The allegations contend Vappie and Cantrell's activities extended to out-of-state trips. Cantrell allegedly shifted policy and started bringing members of her Executive Protection Unit on the out-of-state trips around five months after Vappie joined the EPU. "Cantrell said she would 'make it happen' to have Vappie accompany her on a three-day trip to Washington, D.C., a trip that they both agreed that they 'needed,'" the Justice Department statement reads. The City of New Orleans was billed over $70,000 on Vappie's behalf for the three-day trip. The couple also allegedly used a city-owned apartment during their relationship. Cantrell was elected in 2018 after serving as a Member of the New Orleans City Council, making her the first female mayor in the city's history. Cantrell has not commented publicly on the allegations. Police say the pair tried to hide the affair and have recovered thousands of texts and pictures from the What'sApp messaging platform. Both are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Vappie also faces twelve counts of wire fraud. Cantrell is also named in six of the latter charges. Additionally, Vappie is charged with making a false statement to the FBI, while Cantrell faces two counts of making a false declaration before a grand jury.
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
West Virginia sends hundreds of National Guard members to Washington at Trump team's request
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hundreds of West Virginia National Guard members will deploy across the nation's capital as part of the Trump administration's effort to overhaul policing in the District of Columbia through a federal crackdown on crime and homelessness. Gov. Patrick Morrisey, announced Saturday that he was sending a contingent of 300 to 400 to nearby Washington at the Republican administration's request. They will arrive in the district along with equipment and specialized training services, his office said in a statement. 'West Virginia is proud to stand with President Trump in his effort to restore pride and beauty to our nation's capital,' Morrisey said. 'The men and women of our National Guard represent the best of our state, and this mission reflects our shared commitment to a strong and secure America.' The move comes as federal agents and National Guard troops have begun to appear across the heavily Democratic city after Trump's executive order Monday federalizing local police forces and activating about 800 D.C. National Guard troops. Maj. Gen. James Seward, West Virginia's adjutant general, said in a statement that members of the state's National Guard 'stand ready to support our partners in the National Capital Region' and that the Guard's 'unique capabilities and preparedness make it an invaluable partner in this important undertaking.' Federal agents have appeared in some of the city's most highly trafficked neighborhoods, garnering praise, pushback and alarm from local residents and leaders across the country. City leaders, who are obliged to cooperate with the president's order under the federal laws that direct the district's local governance, have sought to work with the administration though have bristled at the scope of the president's takeover. On Friday the administration reversed course on an order that aimed to place the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration as an 'emergency police commissioner' after the district's top lawyer sued to contest. After a court hearing, Trump's attorney general, Pam Bond, issued a memo that directed the Metropolitan Police Department to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law. District officials say they are evaluating how to best comply. In his order Monday, Trump declared an emergency due to the 'city government's failure to maintain public order.' He said that impeded the 'federal government's ability to operate efficiently to address the nation's broader interests without fear of our workers being subjected to rampant violence.' In a letter to city residents, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, wrote that 'our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now." She added that if Washingtonians stick together, 'we will show the entire nation what it looks like to fight for American democracy -– even when we don't have full access to it.'
