New Orleans Mayor Indicted

A federal grand jury indicted New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Friday on conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction charges after a long-running investigation into allegations that she tried to hide a romantic relationship with her bodyguard. Cantrell's bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, pleaded not guilty after his indictment on charges of wire fraud and making false statements. Federal prosecutors have accused Vappie and Cantrell of exchanging encrypted messages through an app to avoid detection and then deleting the conversations, the AP reports. The mayor and Vappie have said their relationship is strictly professional.

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. Vappie, who retired from the police department last year, is accused of hiding a romantic relationship with Cantrell and filing false payroll records claiming he was on duty. He's scheduled to stand trial in January. "This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans," said a spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell.

Cantrell, the first female mayor in the city's 300-year history, is term-limited and due to leave office in January. The Democrat has clashed with City Council members during a turbulent second term and survived a recall effort in 2022, per the AP. The mayor's role has weakened since voters approved changes to the city charter meant to curb her authority. Cantrell and her allies argue 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.