NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) – A federal indictment alleges New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and former New Orleans Police Department Officer Jeffrey Vappie carried out a years‑long fraud scheme that used city funds for personal purposes.
The indictment also alleges that the two concealed a romantic relationship while Vappie was on the mayor’s executive protection detail.
Prosecutors say they exchanged more than 15,000 WhatsApp messages, photos and audio clips in eight months, arranged at least 14 domestic and international trips and charged over $70,000 in travel to the city as Vappie claimed on‑duty hours.
The filing alleges the pair used WhatsApp to intimidate subordinates, harass a citizen, delete evidence, mislead investigators and give false statements to a federal grand jury.
According to the 18-count indictment, Cantrell additionally pressured then‑Interim Superintendent Michelle Woodfork to halt an internal NOPD probe of Vappie, sought his reassignment to her detail despite findings against him, and concealed responsive records from a grand jury subpoena, including WhatsApp communications.
Prosecutors say both defendants were warned their conduct was illegal as early as April 2022.
Cantrell’s indictment marks the first time in New Orleans’ history that a sitting mayor has faced criminal prosecution.
At least 12 out of 16 jurors voted to indict Cantrell on Friday.
Cantrell has denied wrongdoing.
The federal probe first gained traction in 2023, when WVUE’s “Outside the Office” investigation uncovered that Vappie, who had been assigned to Cantrell’s protective detail, was spending hours with her inside a city-owned apartment while on the clock and possibly being paid for unworked time.
Investigators later uncovered that Vappie may have engaged in an inappropriate relationship with the mayor while filing falsified timesheets. Vappie was placed on leave and eventually resigned.
In July 2024, Vappie was indicted on federal charges, including wire fraud and falsifying records. Prosecutors alleged he lied to cover up the romantic relationship with Cantrell. He pleaded not guilty.
The mayor’s legal troubles come after more than two years of mounting criticism, including a legal battle with a New Orleans resident who took photos of the alleged relationship and a legal battle with New Orleans Public Schools over a broken multi-million dollar funding promise.
At a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Tampa in June, Cantrell called the scrutiny she has faced while in office “disrespectful.”
Cantrell made history in November 2017 when elected as New Orleans’ first Black woman mayor.
The city of New Orleans acknowledged the federal indictment of the mayor but declined to comment on the allegations.
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