A federal grand jury indicted New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and her former bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, on Friday after a multiyear corruption investigation into the Louisiana Democrat.
Cantrell, now the first sitting mayor to be indicted in the city’s history, has been charged with conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction, according to the indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Cantrell’s indictment follows years of controversy tied to her administration. In 2023, Cantrell was accused of having an affair with Vappie, and New Orleans residents submitted a petition seeking to recall her from her position as mayor over a crime surge in the city.
The indictment is a superseding one, as Vappie was previously indicted over making false statements and wire fraud charges, to which he pleaded not guilty in 2024. The charges in Friday’s indictment of Cantrell and Vappie are based on allegations that the two attempted to hide an affair, including by exchanging over 15,000 messages on WhatsApp, conversations that they later deleted.
Cantrell also met Vappie in an apartment, while Vappie claimed to be on duty. They arranged trips between themselves, the expenses of which were covered with taxpayer dollars.
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Cantrell is the first female mayor of New Orleans and has been serving in the office since 2018. However, the seat is up for grabs in 2026, as Cantrell is term-limited.
Mayor Cantrell’s communications team did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.