Corruption investigation culminates in federal indictment of New Orleans mayor
Breaking News: New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Indicted on 18 Felony Counts
In a shocking turn of events, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the city's first female mayor in its 300-year history, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 18 felony counts. The charges, announced on a Friday, include conspiracy, wire fraud, obstruction of justice, making false statements, payroll fraud, and lying to federal investigators.
The indictment, confirmed by Mayor Cantrell's lawyer, Eddie Castaing, alleges a years-long scheme involving her former bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie. The charges center on covering up a personal and intimate affair, falsifying work timesheets to fraudulently charge the city for time not worked, harassing and punishing staff who interfered, deleting incriminating evidence, including thousands of encrypted WhatsApp messages, and making false statements to federal investigators.
Specifically, Cantrell faces 11 charges:
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
- Conspiracy to obstruct justice
- Obstruction of justice
- Two counts of making false declarations before a grand jury
- Six counts of wire fraud
According to the indictment, Vappie allegedly submitted false timesheets claiming he was on duty, while spending hours alone with Cantrell in city-owned apartments and on trips. They used encrypted WhatsApp messaging and utilized the app’s disappearing messages feature to conceal their communications. Cantrell is accused of manually deleting thousands of messages exchanged with Vappie between October 2022 and January 2023. The conspiracy charges encompass the entirety of these acts undertaken to conceal the affair and defraud the city.
This indictment marks the first time a sitting New Orleans mayor has faced criminal charges, underscoring the historic and serious nature of the allegations. The source of the information is The Associated Press.
It is important to note that the charges against Mayor Cantrell are not immediately known, and the specific details of the corruption investigation are not provided in this paragraph.
Mayor Cantrell has clashed with City Council members during her second term and survived a recall effort in 2022. Her term as New Orleans Mayor will end in January. This article is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
[1] Associated Press. (2023). New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell indicted on federal charges. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-mayor-latoya-cantrell-indicted-federal-charges-717d7d5981d887862580980848023c01
[2] The New Orleans Advocate. (2023). LaToya Cantrell indicted on federal charges. Retrieved from https://www.nola.com/politics/article_b9f97c7a-6a21-533b-b713-b5b7e6819338.html
[3] WWL-TV. (2023). New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell indicted on federal charges. Retrieved from https://www.wwltv.com/news/local-news/new-orleans/new-orleans-mayor-latoya-cantrell-indicted-on-federal-charges/
[4] WDSU. (2023). New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell indicted on federal charges. Retrieved from https://www.wdsu.com/article/new-orleans-mayor-latoya-cantrell-indicted-on-federal-charges/37209392
- The indictment against New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has sent shockwaves through the city's political landscape, with the charges alleging a conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and numerous counts of wire fraud that are often associated with policy-and-legislation, general news, and politics.
- Amidst the developing story of Mayor Cantrell's indictment, citizens and policymakers alike are urged to stay informed about the latest updates in this significant case, which intertwines local politics, general news, and policy-and-legislation.
