New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted Friday on federal charges of defrauding the city while trying to keep her romantic relationship with a police officer a secret, prosecutors said.
Cantrell is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements and false declaration before a grand jury, according to a federal indictment filed Friday in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Shortly after the news broke, a lawyer for Cantrell told NBC News they had not yet seen the indictment and had no comment.
Prosecutors allege that Cantrell was in a romantic relationship with Jeffrey Paul Vappie II, who served on the New Orleans Police Department’s executive protection unit from May 2021 to April 2024.
“To hide their relations from detection and to maximize their time together, Cantrell and Vappie exploited their public positions to develop and implement a scheme to defraud the city of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department by engaging in personal activities while Vappie claimed to be on duty and was paid for,” the indictment states.
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.
He could not immediately be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
The pair’s three-year fraud scheme exploited their public authority and position, Michael Simpson, an acting U.S. attorney with the Eastern District of Louisiana, said at a news conference Friday.
The mayor and Vappie have said their relationship was strictly professional, but the indictment portrayed it as “personal and intimate.”
Federal prosecutors allege that the two used the WhatsApp platform to exchange 15,000 messages, pictures and audio clips in an eight-month period. It wasn’t immediately clear when the messages were sent.
Prosecutors say Cantrell and Vappie also used the app to intimidate subordinates, harass a citizen, delete evidence, lie to colleagues and commit perjury for the purpose of distracting and impeding investigations into their actions.
Vappie accompanied Cantrell on 14 domestic and international trips to maximize their time together, federal prosecutors said.
For example, during a working trip to San Francisco in April 2022, the pair stayed an extra day to visit Napa Valley wineries and Vappie claimed to have worked 15 hours, prosecutors said.
In one text message, Cantrell characterized their moments together as “times when we are truly alone,” and as “what spoils me the most,” prosecutors said during Friday’s news conference.
In total, New Orleans spent $70,000 for Vappie’s trips while he was with Cantrell, prosecutors claimed.
They developed a personal and intimate relationship until Vappie retired in June 2024, they said.
New Orleans City Council President JP Morrell on Friday offered prayers for Cantrell and her family.
“This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,” Morell said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cantrell family as they navigate through this difficult time.”
Cantrell, a Democrat, is in her last term as mayor and is set to leave office in January.
She is the city’s first female mayor in its 300-year history. Her second term has been turbulent, including surviving a recall effort in 2022.
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