OAN Staff Abril Elfi
1:29 PM – Friday, August 15, 2025
New Orleans Democrat Mayor LaToya Cantrell has been indicted by a federal grand jury following a corruption investigation.
On Friday, Cantrell (D-La.) was handed an 18-count indictment with charges that include conspiracy, wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, false statements, obstruction of justice and lying to a federal grand jury.
The indictment comes following a separate indictment of Jeffrey Vappie, the mayor’s former New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) bodyguard, who was charged last summer with wire fraud and false statements.
Vappie will also be facing additional charges under the most recent indictment.
The newly released charging documents shed light on additional details of the alleged corruption scheme that prosecutors initially accused Vappie and Cantrell of orchestrating in the indictment.
According to the filings, Vappie would allegedly falsify timesheets to conceal hours he would spend with Cantrell at an Upper Pontalba apartment during duty hours, including while traveling with her on official trips and attending non-work events.
The documents also accuse Vappie of falsifying and deleting records that would hide the nature of his relationship with Cantrell and the mayor’s influence within the NOPD — which was used in an attempt to protect him from scrutiny.
Vappie was then placed on leave and he later resigned, following the investigation into his alleged relationship with the mayor.
According to reports, Cantrell’s indictment follows two years of scrutiny, including her relationship with Vappie, a legal dispute with a New Orleans resident who photographed the alleged affair, a lawsuit with New Orleans Public Schools over a broken multi-million-dollar funding promise, the indictment of a former city inspector accused of bribing her with Saints tickets, and frequent travel amid an ongoing jail escape and the aftermath of a mass power outage.
In 2022, Cantrell also faced backlash for using public funds to upgrade flights to business class for international travel, defending the practice as “doing business on behalf of the city.”
In addition, other media reports have claimed that Cantrell spent nearly $200,000 from her campaign account in 2022 — using a third of it on image consulting services.
According to her campaign finance records, in February 2022, her campaign paid $60,000 to Jolie Image Consulting, owned by Tanya Haynes, and another $12,000 to Erica Warren. Haynes allegedly told store employees that she was purchasing clothing for the mayor to wear at public events like Essence Fest and a 2018 royal visit.
Nonetheless, Cantrell has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
“How I came in seems to be how I’m going out. Accusation after accusation after accusation,” Cantrell said defiantly at a budget presentation in October 2024.
Cantrell’s office has also argued that as the city’s “first female mayor” and as a “Black woman,” she faces more intense scrutiny than her White male colleagues and has been held to different standards than her predecessors.
Cantrell is set to end her term in office in January 2026.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
What do YOU think? Click here to jump to the comments!Sponsored Content Below