Convicted Billionaire Ong Spared Jail After Singapore Scandal
The Malaysian tycoon, who gained international fame for bringing Formula One racing to Singapore, was granted the reprieve by a district judge at a sentencing hearing on Friday afternoon. Ong will be fined S$30,000 ($23,374), the judge said, citing his dire medical condition.
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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
New Orleans mayor indicted over allegations of trying to hide relationship with bodyguard
New Orleans Mayor Federal Charges NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted Friday in what prosecutors called a yearslong scheme to hide a romantic relationship with her bodyguard, who is accused of being paid as if he was working even when they met alone in apartments and traveled to vineyards for wine tasting. Cantrell faces charges of conspiracy, fraud and obstruction, less than five months before she leaves office due to term limits. The first female mayor in New Orleans' 300-year history was elected twice but now becomes the city's first mayor to be charged while in office. 'Public corruption has crippled us for years and years,' Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson said, referring to Louisiana's notorious history. 'And this is extremely significant.' Cantrell's bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, was already facing charges of wire fraud and making false statements. He has pleaded not guilty. A grand jury returned an 18-count indictment Friday that added Cantrell to the case. They're accused of exchanging encrypted messages through WhatsApp to avoid detection and then deleting the conversations. The mayor and Vappie have said their relationship was strictly professional, but the indictment portrayed it as 'personal and intimate.' App captured dreamy chats The mayor's office didn't immediately respond to a phone message or email from The Associated Press seeking comment on the charges Cantrell hasn't sent out a message on her official social media feed on X since July 15, when she said the city was experiencing historic declines in crime. In a WhatsApp exchange, the indictment says, Vappie reminisced about accompanying Cantrell to Scotland in October 2021, saying that was 'where it all started.' Cantrell and Vappie used WhatsApp for more than 15,000 messages, including efforts to harass a citizen, delete evidence, make false statements to FBI agents, 'and ultimately to commit perjury before a federal grand jury,' Simpson said. They met in an apartment while Vappie claimed to be on duty, and she arranged for him to attend 14 trips, Simpson said. The trips, he added, were described by her as times 'when they were truly alone." New Orleans taxpayers paid more than $70,000 for Vappie's travel, the prosecutor said. Together on an island Authorities cited a September 2022 rendezvous on Martha's Vineyard, a trip Cantrell took instead of attending a conference in Miami. Vappie's travel to the island was covered by the city to attend a separate conference. 'The times when we are truly (traveling) is what spoils me the most,' the mayor wrote to him that month. 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, a month after the media began speculating on the pair's conduct. When a private citizen took photos of them dining together and drinking wine, Cantrell filed a police report and sought a restraining order, Simpson said. Vappie retired from the police department in 2024. Mayor has her defenders Cantrell and her remaining allies have said that she's been unfairly targeted as a Black woman and held to a different standard than male officials, her executive powers at City Hall sabotaged. Simpson, however, shook off claims that any of it played a role in the investigation. 'It's irrelevant that it's romance or that it's female,' he told reporters, adding that the allegations were 'an incredible betrayal of people's confidence in their own government.' Cantrell, a 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,' Monet Brignac, a spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell, said as news of the indictment spread. In 2014, former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for bribery, money laundering, fraud and tax crimes. The charges stemmed from his two terms as mayor from 2002 to 2010. He was granted supervised release from prison in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. Earlier this year, Cantrell said she's faced 'very disrespectful, insulting, in some cases kind of unimaginable' treatment. Her husband, attorney Jason Cantrell, died in 2023. —- Hollingsworth reported from Mission, Kansas. Ed White in Detroit contributed to this story. Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
4 hours ago
- Fox News
Acting U.S. attorney: Indictment alleges NOLA mayor's romance with bodyguard cost taxpayers
Michael M. Simpson, acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, laid out charges against Mayor LaToya Cantrell and former NOPD officer Jeffrey Vappie on Friday, Aug. 15. (WVUE)
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Zohran Mamdani Torches Cuomo With 1 Brutal Zinger: 'I Don't Need To Do Much'
New York City's Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani doubled down Thursday after releasing a viral campaign video highlighting a link between his opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mamdani pounced on the subject during a press conference in the Bronx, where he was asked if the video was intended to make Cuomo appear unlikable by pairing him with someone as disgraced as Epstein, an accused sex trafficker. 'I don't need to do much to make the governor appear extremely dislikable,' Mamdani said. 'The intent of that video was to shine a light on what journalists have uncovered over many months, which is the fact of what the former governor did after resigning in disgrace.' Related: 'We know that which has been reported, and yet we also know that there is likely more,' he continued. 'Because, as is the case with Andrew Cuomo, when you think you found out about all of his scandals — there seems to always be another one.' Cuomo slammed Mamdani last week for campaigning on more affordable housing in New York City while living in a rent-controlled apartment, only for Mamdani to share clippings from major media outlets who covered Cuomo's most recent scandals. Related: 'Finally in June, the New York Times covered that Cuomo had worked with his longtime friend Andrew Farkas on a luxury marina project in Puerto Rico,' Mamdani said in the video. 'Farka's previous partner on luxury marinas in the Caribbean? Jeffrey Epstein.' The paper reported at the time that Cuomo declined to share information about the clients and companies who paid him as a consultant after resigning in 2021, but noted the marina project and two other deals had already come to light — as Mamdani noted in his video. Mamdani on Cuomo: "I don't need to do much to make the governor appear extremely dislikable." — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 14, 2025 'Cuomo advised a cryptocurrency exchange based in the Seychelles as it faced federal investigations,' he said in the clip. 'Then in May, Politico reported that Cuomo failed to disclose $2.6 million in stock options to the New York City Conflicts of Interest board.' Cuomo spoke ahead of Mamdani on Thursday and said New York City faces 'serious difficulty' in fighting unemployment. Mamdani, who has slammed President Donald Trump for his potential involvement in the mayoral race, leapt on the comment Thursday. 'To hear from a former governor about the difficulties of attracting additional jobs without the recognition of what the Trump administration has done to make it so difficult ...' said Mamdani, citing Trump's tariffs and the current 'business climate' hampering local tourism. Related: 'We're seeing estimates of about a $4 billion loss compared to other years in this city,' he said. 'That is something that has massive ramifications for the ability for our city to continue functioning as it has, and yet I cannot recall the last time the former governor even brought that up.' Related... Zohran Mamdani Slams Possible Trump Involvement In NYC Mayoral Race Meghan McCain Taunts Andrew Cuomo And Makes Stunning Prediction For NYC Mayor Race Washington Sues To Block Trump's Federal Takeover Of Its Police Department
