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American Press
2 hours ago
- Politics
- American Press
Things to know about the indictment against the New Orleans mayor
Months before New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was set to leave office because of term limits, she has been indicted in what prosecutors allege was a yearslong scheme to conceal a romantic relationship with her bodyguard. Prosecutors say bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie was being paid as if he was working when he and Cantrell were really alone in apartments and visiting vineyards, hiding their communication by sending encrypted messages through WhatsApp and then deleting them. Although the pair have said their relationship was strictly professional, the indictment described it as 'personal and intimate.' The first female mayor in New Orleans' 300-year history has been charged with conspiracy, fraud and obstruction. 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. The City of New Orleans said in a statement that it was aware of the indictment and that the mayor's attorney was reviewing it. 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. She and her remaining allies have said that she has been unfairly targeted as a Black woman and held to a different standard than male officials. Here are things to know about the mayor and the indictment: Vineyard trips and alone time with bodyguard The indictment paints a detailed picture of Cantrell and her bodyguard traveling to vineyards and spending time alone in apartments at the same time it says Vappie was being paid as if he was working. Vappie reminisced in a WhatsApp exchange cited in the indictment about joining Cantrell in Scotland in October 2021, saying that was 'where it all started.' Cantrell had told local reporters she needed a security detail 'due to COVID,' saying her travel accommodations were 'a matter of safety, not of luxury.' The following year, instead of Cantrell attending a conference in Miami, authorities said the pair rendezvoused on Martha's Vineyard. 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. That same year, they also visited several California wineries, according to the indictment. After a 'trusted staff member' posted a photo of the three of them on social media, one of Cantrell's associates asked them to remove it. They met in an apartment while Vappie claimed to be on duty, and Cantrell arranged for him to attend 14 trips, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson said. The trips, he added, were described by her as times 'when they were truly alone.' In all, New Orleans taxpayers paid more than $70,000 for Vappie's travel, Simpson said. The pair used WhatsApp for more than 15,000 messages, including efforts to delete evidence, make false statements to FBI agents, 'and ultimately to commit perjury before a federal grand jury,' he said. A turbulent second term as mayor Cantrell, a Democrat, won a historic election in 2017 by portraying herself as a candidate for the people and not of the city's political class. Her mayoral tenure started strong with her securing tens of millions of dollars for city infrastructure improvements and taking decisive steps during the pandemic. There wasn't strong opposition to her 2021 election for a second term. But it was around that time that the wheels started to come off her administration. After Hurricane Ida pounded south Louisiana in 2021, residents were left without trash collection for weeks, while crime rates were surging.
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
New Orleans Mayor Indicted Over Allegations She Hid Relationship With Bodyguard
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted by a federal grand jury Friday for allegedly conspiring to hide a romantic relationship with a police officer assigned to protect her. Cantrell, the city's first female mayor, faces charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and obstruction of justice. The police officer, 52-year-old Jeffrey Vappie, was paid even while spending time alone with Cantrell in a government apartment or tasting wines with her during a trip to a California winery, according to the indictment. In total, prosecutors said, New Orleans paid over $70,000 for Vappie's travel costs and salary. Representatives for Cantrell, 53, didn't respond to a request for comment Friday. Vappie was indicted last year and pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and making false statements. His trial is scheduled for January. Michael M. Simpson, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, called the alleged scheme an 'incredible breach of the public trust' and a betrayal of people's confidence in the government. 'Public officials should be in their jobs to serve the public and not themselves,' Simpson said at a news conference Friday. According to the indictment, a 'personal and intimate relationship' between Vappie and Cantrell started around October 2021. In February 2022, they started using WhatsApp to message each other, sending more than 15,000 messages in about nine months, prosecutors said. In one message, Vappie told Cantrell that 'he loved her and their physical relationship,' according to the indictment. Cantrell approved pay invoices for Vappie, including for time when the two were alone or on trips together, according to the indictment. To hide their romance, the two deleted WhatsApp messages and punished subordinates who questioned their relationship, prosecutors said. At one point, Cantrell filed a restraining order against a New Orleans resident who took a photo of the pair together, the indictment said. Cantrell was re-elected as mayor in 2021. Her second term ends in January. Vappie retired from the police department in June 2024. Write to Joseph Pisani at
UPI
9 hours ago
- Politics
- 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.
15 hours ago
- Politics
What to know about the indictment against the New Orleans mayor
NEW ORLEANS -- Months before New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was set to leave office because of term limits, she has been indicted in what prosecutors allege was a yearslong scheme to conceal a romantic relationship with her bodyguard. Prosecutors say bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie was being paid as if he was working when he and Cantrell were really alone in apartments and visiting vineyards, hiding their communication by sending encrypted messages through WhatsApp and then deleting them. Although the pair have said their relationship was strictly professional, the indictment described it as 'personal and intimate.' The first female mayor in New Orleans' 300-year history has been charged with conspiracy, fraud and obstruction. 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. The City of New Orleans said in a statement that it was aware of the indictment and that the mayor's attorney was reviewing it. 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. She and her remaining allies have said that she has been unfairly targeted as a Black woman and held to a different standard than male officials. Here are things to know about the mayor and the indictment: The indictment paints a detailed picture of Cantrell and her bodyguard traveling to vineyards and spending time alone in apartments at the same time it says Vappie was being paid as if he was working. Vappie reminisced in a WhatsApp exchange cited in the indictment about joining Cantrell in Scotland in October 2021, saying that was 'where it all started.' Cantrell had told local reporters she needed a security detail 'due to COVID,' saying her travel accommodations were 'a matter of safety, not of luxury.' The following year, instead of Cantrell attending a conference in Miami, authorities said the pair rendezvoused on Martha's Vineyard. 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. That same year, they also visited several California wineries, according to the indictment. After a 'trusted staff member' posted a photo of the three of them on social media, one of Cantrell's associates asked them to remove it. They met in an apartment while Vappie claimed to be on duty, and Cantrell arranged for him to attend 14 trips, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson said. The trips, he added, were described by her as times 'when they were truly alone.' In all, New Orleans taxpayers paid more than $70,000 for Vappie's travel, Simpson said. The pair used WhatsApp for more than 15,000 messages, including efforts to delete evidence, make false statements to FBI agents, 'and ultimately to commit perjury before a federal grand jury,' he said. Cantrell, a Democrat, won a historic election in 2017 by portraying herself as a candidate for the people and not of the city's political class. Her mayoral tenure started strong with her securing tens of millions of dollars for city infrastructure improvements and taking decisive steps during the pandemic. There wasn't strong opposition to her 2021 election for a second term. But it was around that time that the wheels started to come off her administration. After Hurricane Ida pounded south Louisiana in 2021, residents were left without trash collection for weeks, while crime rates were surging. Meanwhile, Cantrell drew criticism for taking first-class trips abroad at the city's expense, violating a policy that requires city employees to use cheaper fares. She eventually agreed to repay the difference. A WVUE television investigation also found she was using a city-owned apartment as a part-time residence. Cantrell survived a recall campaign launched in 2022 by disgruntled Black Democrats and largely funded by wealthy white Republicans. She is also among more than 100 people brought up on corruption charges in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans two decades ago, said Rafael Goyeneche, a former prosecutor who is president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, a watchdog group that provided photographs and information to federal authorities in the latest case. Although Cantrell is New Orleans' first mayor to be charged while in office, this is far from the first corruption case to impact the city. 'Public corruption has crippled us for years and years,' Simpson said. 'And this is extremely significant.' In 2014, former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was sentenced to a decade in prison for bribery, money laundering, fraud and tax crimes. The charges relate to actions during his two terms as mayor from 2002 to 2010. He was released early in 2020 during the pandemic. In 2022, Rodney J. 'Jack' Strain, a former Louisiana sheriff, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a federal bribery conviction. He also received four life sentences for earlier convictions for raping boys. After serving five terms, he admitted he used his authority as sheriff to steer profits from a $1 million work-release contract to himself, his family and two deputies. G. Thomas Porteous Jr., a federal judge from New Orleans, was impeached and removed from the bench after the U.S. Senate in 2010 determined he took money from attorneys and bail bondsmen and lied in a personal bankruptcy filing, among other offenses. He never faced criminal charges as a result of the probe, which ran from 1999 to 2007. He died in 2021.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell indicted in alleged fraud scheme
The two went on 14 trips together that were considered New Orleans business, the indictment says. Destinations included the United Arab Emirates, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Among photos in court filings is one of them at a California vineyard. A trip to Scotland was "where it all started," Vappie wrote in one of 15,000 WhatsApp messages they exchanged between February and October 2022, according to court filings. Federal charges against Cantrell in the Eastern District of Louisiana include conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements and obstruction of justice, court filings show. A Cantrell office representative directed USA TODAY to send requests for comment via email. Her office did not reply. Harry Rosenberg, an attorney for Vappie, told USA TODAY that his client could not comment on the indictment that involves the former bodyguard. Vappie was indicted first in July 2024 on wire fraud charges related to billing false hours, including those he spent inside Cantrell's French Quarter apartment. He has pleaded not guilty, according to reporting by the Associated Press. The pair face potentially decades in prison if found guilty, prosecutors said.
