New Orleans is no stranger to political drama—but this one reads like a Netflix script.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell and her former bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, are facing federal charges of fraud and corruption.
Prosecutors say it was less about city safety and more about a secret romance on the taxpayers’ dime.
According to court filings, Cantrell and Vappie struck up a “personal, intimate relationship” back in late 2021.
What’s The Problem?
Prosecutors claim the two logged him as “on duty” while actually jetting off together—14 times, both at home and abroad.
Think vineyard tours in California, a cozy city-owned apartment treated like their private getaway, and allegedly $70,000 in taxpayer costs.
Officials say the pair used WhatsApp’s disappearing messages to hide their communications.
“This wasn’t about love,” U.S. attorney Michael Simpson argued.
“It was a years-long fraud scheme that used public money for personal ends.”
Cantrell has previously defended bringing bodyguards along, citing COVID-era safety concerns.
But prosecutors counter she sometimes traveled solo—undercutting that claim.
To make matters worse, they allege the two lied to FBI agents, intimidated staff, and even committed perjury.
If convicted, both face prison time and hefty fines. Cantrell, New Orleans’ first female mayor, is set to leave office in January.
So the big question is: will her legacy be breaking barriers—or breaking public trust?
