New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell hit with federal charges linked to years-long affair

New Orleans' embattled mayor LaToya Cantrell is facing federal charges related to an illicit affair and cover-up, according to an indictment unsealed on Friday. The charges supersede those from last year against Cantrell’s former police bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie Jr., with whom she was romantically involved over several years.

The charges against Cantrell—one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of obstruction of justice, and two counts of making false statements to a grand jury—mark the first time a New Orleans mayor has faced a federal indictment while still in office.

“According to the allegations contained in the superseding indictment, while Cantrell was Mayor of New Orleans and Vappie was a New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officer and member of her executive protection team, Cantrell and Vappie developed a personal, intimate relationship as early as October of 2021,” reads a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

“From that time until Vappie’s retirement in June 2024, they embarked on a scheme to defraud the City of New Orleans and NOPD by exploiting Vappie’s job and Cantrell’s authority as Mayor to have the City and NOPD pay Vappie’s salary and expenses during times Vappie claimed to be on duty but when he was actually engaged in personal activities, often with Cantrell.”

The release of the 18-count indictment was accompanied by a press conference with acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson in New Orleans. There, he detailed what has been discovered concerning Cantrell since the fall of 2022, when the mayor was discovered to be living rent-free in a city-owned residence in downtown New Orleans—often coming and going from the apartment in the company of Vappie.

Over the following months, a city investigation revealed that the mayor was not following proper protocol and was potentially violating the Louisiana Constitution with her personal use of the apartment. The city council voted in March 2024 to change the locks on the building and ordered Cantrell to remove her personal belongings.

The new federal indictment alleges that, following the revelation of her misdeeds, Cantrell engaged in a sophisticated cover-up operation, deleting thousands of messages between herself and Vappie on WhatsApp and concealing her communications from a grand jury in late 2022. Vappie was later indicted for both the wire fraud scheme and for making a false statement to federal agents regarding the affair.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges that the obstructive actions of Cantrell and Vappie continued through 2024—including pressuring New Orleans’ then-superintendent of police to overrule the findings of an investigation concerning Vappie, later attempting to remove the superintendent, and retaliating against a citizen whistleblower.

Like Vappie, Cantrell publicly denied the allegations of an affair, even as Vappie’s wife filed for divorce in early 2023, indirectly naming Cantrell as the other woman. The mayor’s husband, Jason Cantrell, died of a heart attack just months later.

Mayor Cantrell, a 53-year-old Black Catholic who was first elected in 2017 and won a second term in 2021, is due to depart city hall in January 2026. She released a statement through her attorney on Friday following her indictment, noting that they are “thoroughly reviewing the document.”

“Until his review is complete, the City will not comment further on this matter.”

Even so, several members of the New Orleans City Council spoke out as well, calling the federal charges a challenging moment in the history of the Crescent City.

“This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans,” said City Council President JP Morrell. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cantrell family as they navigate through this difficult time.”

Royce Duplessis, one of several candidates in the 2025 New Orleans mayoral election, said the indictment is a sign of the city’s dysfunctional leadership.

“Mayor Cantrell is entitled to a fair trial; but more importantly, as a father, my heart breaks for her child,” he wrote on social media.

“The people of New Orleans are sick and tired of the drama that has not delivered improvements in their lives.”

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, and up to 20 years for each count of obstruction of justice, and up to five years for each count of making false statements to a grand jury.

Vappie faces a similar outlook, and pleaded not guilty last year to seven counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to federal agents. U.S. Magistrate Judge Eva J. Dossier has issued a summons for Cantrell and Vappie to turn themselves in on the new charges.

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

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