WASHINGTON—New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on Sept. 10 pleaded not guilty to federal wire fraud and obstruction charges stemming from an alleged romantic relationship with her bodyguard.
Cantrell was charged in August with six counts of wire fraud and one count of obstruction of justice—the first time in New Orleans history that a sitting mayor has faced federal criminal charges.
Her bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, was charged with 12 counts of wire fraud and making a false statement to the FBI.
As early as October 2021, Cantrell and Vappie, who were working for the New Orleans Police Department, were in an intimate personal relationship.
The two allegedly defrauded the City of New Orleans by having the city and the police department pay Vappie’s salary and expenses while he was engaged in personal activities with Cantrell, despite claiming to be on duty.
The department also alleged the pair intimidated subordinates, harassed a citizen, lied to colleagues and associates, deleted evidence, made false statements to FBI agents, gave the grand jury an affidavit signed under oath and penalty of perjury that contained numerous false statements, and, ultimately, committed perjury before a federal grand jury.
“All for the purpose of distracting and impeding inquiries and investigations, including a federal grand jury investigation,” the department said.
Cantrell, who survived a recall attempt in 2022, allegedly arranged for Vappie to accompany her on 14 out-of-state trips, such as to San Francisco, that included extending the trip for a day so they could enjoy Napa Valley wineries.
A grand jury issued subpoenas to Cantrell and Vappie in July 2023 for records.
Vappie allegedly lied to the FBI about his relationship with Cantrell.
Cantrell allegedly did not hand over the WhatsApp messages to the federal agents.
She claimed that she turned on a feature on the messaging app that deletes messages after 24 hours.
However, she allegedly did not turn on this feature until December 2022, following media reports about her relationship with Vappie.
If convicted, Cantrell and Vappie face up to 20 years in prison.
“This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,” a spokesperson for City Council President Jean-Paul Morrell said when the indictment came out.
Cantrell has said that she is being targeted because of her race and gender and that a male official would be held to a different standard—an allegation Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson called “an incredible betrayal of people’s confidence in their own government.”
“It’s irrelevant that it’s romance or that it’s female,” he told reporters.
