New Orleans mayor, former bodyguard plead not guilty to federal charges linked to affair

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and her former bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie Jr. pleaded not guilty this month to federal charges alleging they conspired to defraud the city and the local police department to cover up their romantic affair.

At the Hale Boggs Federal Building on Sept. 10, Cantrell entered her plea on 11 federal charges first unsealed in August, while Vappie entered his plea two days later.

It is the second such appearance in federal court for Vappie, who was first charged in 2024 with wire fraud and making a false statement to federal agents. The superseding indictment announced last month added Cantrell to six of Vappie’s wire fraud counts and more than doubled the total counts against him to 15—including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to obstruct justice. 

Cantrell faces 11 counts in total, including the conspiracy and wire fraud charges, two counts of making false statements to a federal grand jury, and one count of obstruction of justice. She is the first sitting mayor to face a federal indictment.

The federal allegations center on the mayor’s rent-free use of a city-owned apartment, where she was often seen coming and going in the company of Vappie, who was then part of her security detail. The two allegedly dined together regularly on the city's dime and traveled on numerous taxpayer-funded trips, ostensibly for the mayor’s official duties, as they engaged in an illicit relationship that first began in 2021.

Cantrell was later censured by the New Orleans City Council for her use of the city-owned flat as Vappie underwent a divorce from his wife, who referred to an affair with Cantrell as the cause of the marital breakdown.

Upon the commencement of a federal investigation, Vappie and Cantrell allegedly engaged in a cover-up, including the deletion of phone messages, lying to a federal grand jury, and public retaliation on the part of Cantrell. 

Vappie’s attorneys, Harry Rosenberg and Shaun Clarke, say he is innocent of any wrongdoing and merely “collateral damage” in a federal investigation they say was intended for Cantrell.

“Contrary to the U.S. Attorney’s rhetoric, what the government has charged Jeff with are matters of personal conduct,” said Clarke following Vappie’s arraignment. “They are not federal crimes.”

For her part, Cantrell has not spoken publicly on the case, which has resulted in court-imposed restrictions on her usually busy travel schedule—the latter being one of several points of public contention in her second and final term as mayor. The Black Catholic executive, the first woman to serve as New Orleans' mayor, has also been ordered not to contact Vappie.

The case has also had implications in Washington, with the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Donald Trump barring Cantrell and Vappie from signing contracts involving federal funds. The move was announced with letters shared publicly on Sept. 3 by HUD Secretary Scott Turner.

At Cantrell’s arraignment a week later, her attorney Eddie Castaing said the court proceedings will not impede her continued service in office, which is due to end in January. Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby has set the start of Vappie’s trial for just two weeks after that date, beginning Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.

Cantrell’s trial is set to begin Monday, Nov. 17, with a pretrial appearance on Monday, Oct. 13. Vappie will next appear in court on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

If convicted, Cantrell would face up to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, up to 20 years for each count of wire fraud itself, up to 20 years for conspiracy to obstruct justice, up to 20 years for each count of obstruction of justice, and up to five years for each count of making false statements.

Vappie faces a similar outlook, and the pair would also be obligated to pay potentially millions each, with most counts carrying a fine of $250,000.

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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