A federal grand jury has charged former New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell and former NOPD officer Jeffrey Vappie in a joint 18-count case alleging they used his executive protection assignment to carry on a secret romantic relationship at the city’s expense, then lied and destroyed evidence to hide it. The Cantrell and Vappie indictment, unsealed August 15, 2025, is the first federal criminal prosecution of a sitting New Orleans mayor. Both have pleaded not guilty, and a jury trial is set for October 19, 2026.1U.S. Department of Justice. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Former NOPD Officer Jeffrey Vappie Indicted
The Charges Against Each Defendant
The superseding indictment splits 18 counts between the two defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (Case No. 24-CR-165).2Axios. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Indictment: What It Says
Cantrell faces 11 counts: 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 false declaration before a grand jury.
Vappie faces 15 counts: one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, twelve counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, and one count of false statement to the FBI.
Each wire fraud and obstruction count carries a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. The conspiracy and false-statement counts each carry a maximum of five years. Every count carries a possible fine of up to $250,000. Federal sentencing guidelines and the non-violent nature of the alleged conduct make maximum sentences uncommon in practice.3NOLA.com. Cantrell-Vappie Indictment Breakdown
What Prosecutors Say the Two Did
Prosecutors allege Cantrell and Vappie began an intimate relationship as early as October 2021 and used his position on her security detail to spend time together while the city paid his salary and expenses.1U.S. Department of Justice. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Former NOPD Officer Jeffrey Vappie Indicted
The indictment says a city-owned apartment in the Upper Pontalba building in the French Quarter functioned as a shared residence where the two met while Vappie was logged as on duty. The Metropolitan Crime Commission had already flagged Cantrell’s use of the apartment in a September 2022 report and estimated its fair market rent at roughly $3,000 a month.4WDSU. Cantrell Pontalba Apartments
Travel accounts for much of the alleged fraud. The indictment identifies at least 14 domestic and international trips Vappie took with Cantrell, costing the city more than $70,000. On one, the pair extended a San Francisco trip by a day to visit Napa Valley wineries in April 2022; Vappie claimed and was paid for a 15-hour workday during the wine tasting. On another, Cantrell traveled to Martha’s Vineyard to visit Vappie while he attended a city-funded conference connected to his seat on the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO) Board of Commissioners, a board Cantrell had appointed him to in March 2022.1U.S. Department of Justice. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Former NOPD Officer Jeffrey Vappie Indicted
Vappie’s timesheets face separate scrutiny. Public records show that on March 29, 2022, his NOPD timesheet listed 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., a period during which he sat in a HANO board meeting running from 4 p.m. past 6 p.m. Asked by internal investigators whether the board meetings had anything to do with executive protection, Vappie answered, “Absolutely not.”5Fox 8 Live. Fact-Checking Cantrell’s HANO Claims Involving NOPD’s Jeffrey Vappie Vappie resigned from NOPD in June 2024 after 27 years on the force; he had resigned the HANO seat in March 2023 amid scrutiny of the relationship.6Fox 8 Live. NOPD’s Vappie Resigns HANO Board Seat Awarded by Mayor Cantrell
The Alleged Cover-Up
The obstruction and false-statement counts rest on a set of allegations about how the two responded once the relationship drew public and federal attention.
According to the indictment, Cantrell and Vappie exchanged more than 15,000 messages, photographs, and audio clips over WhatsApp during an eight-month period. After news reports about the relationship surfaced in November 2022, Vappie allegedly searched online for criminal defense attorneys and researched WhatsApp’s security and encryption features. On December 26, 2022, Cantrell is alleged to have activated WhatsApp’s “disappearing messages” function and manually deleted thousands of prior messages.1U.S. Department of Justice. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Former NOPD Officer Jeffrey Vappie Indicted
When a federal grand jury issued subpoenas in July 2023, Cantrell submitted a sworn affidavit stating she had enabled the auto-delete feature back in 2021. Prosecutors say that was false and that she did not turn it on until late 2022. She also allegedly withheld more than 50 photographs and screenshots of correspondence with Vappie that were responsive to the subpoena. In a separate interview that same month, Vappie allegedly lied to FBI agents about the nature of the relationship.1U.S. Department of Justice. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Former NOPD Officer Jeffrey Vappie Indicted
The indictment further alleges the two intimidated subordinates, harassed a private citizen who had photographed them together in public, and pressured NOPD Interim Superintendent Michelle Woodfork to overrule the findings of an internal investigation into Vappie’s timesheets. When Woodfork refused, prosecutors say, Cantrell told her she would not be nominated for the permanent superintendent job. Woodfork retired in March 2023.7Fox 8 Live. Indictment Claims Mayor Cantrell Pressured Interim Chief Woodfork to Drop Vappie Probe
How the Case Reached Indictment
The investigation grew out of local reporting and oversight work in 2022. Fox 8 New Orleans reviewed more than 150 hours of surveillance footage and filed close to 100 public records requests examining Cantrell’s use of the Pontalba apartment, identifying Vappie as a frequent visitor during work hours. Around the same time, the Metropolitan Crime Commission published its report questioning her occupancy, and in November 2022 the NOPD Professional Integrity Bureau opened an internal investigation into Vappie’s timecards.8Fox 8 Live. Timeline of Events Leading to Mayor Cantrell’s Federal Indictment The FBI and the City of New Orleans Office of Inspector General joined the inquiries, and a federal grand jury investigation began in 2023.9WDSU. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Indicted
Vappie was first indicted alone in July 2024 on seven counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements to the FBI, in a 17-page indictment alleging he had fraudulently obtained more than $47,000 in taxpayer funds through false timesheets and travel. Cantrell appeared only as “Public Official 1.”10U.S. Department of Justice. Former NOPD Officer Charged With Wire Fraud and False Statements The August 2025 superseding indictment added her as a named co-defendant and layered on the conspiracy and obstruction counts.
Where the Case Stands
Cantrell was arraigned on September 10, 2025, before Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby and pleaded not guilty to all 11 counts. She was released without bail but ordered to surrender her passport and to keep her domestic travel within the 13 parishes under the New Orleans federal court’s jurisdiction unless she obtains court clearance.11Louisiana Illuminator. Cantrell Plea Vappie had already pleaded not guilty to his original charges in 2024 and was set for re-arraignment on the superseding indictment shortly after Cantrell’s plea.12WDSU. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Pleads Not Guilty to Federal Charges
The case is assigned to Chief Judge Wendy B. Vitter. Jury trial is scheduled to begin October 19, 2026, with a final pretrial conference on September 16, 2026.13CourtListener. United States v. Vappie, Docket 2:24-cr-00165
Pretrial fighting has centered on evidence prosecutors want to add beyond the original indictment. That includes allegations that Vappie gave Cantrell two rings (a diamond ring and his NOPD gold ring) and that Cantrell used roughly $259,000 in campaign funds to pay a stylist, along with nearly $10,000 in campaign funds for alcohol purchases during 2020 and 2021.14WDSU. Cantrell and Vappie Court Hearing Cantrell’s attorney, Eddie Castaing, moved to block the material, calling it “more inflammatory than relevant” and unrelated to the core fraud and obstruction charges. He argued the campaign spending was controlled by her campaign manager and was not illegal, and that the police ring was a conditional loan rather than a delivered gift. Vappie’s attorney, Shaun Clarke, said the campaign finance evidence has “virtually” no relevance to his client and warned he would seek to sever the two trials if it comes in.15Fox 8 Live. Cantrell, Vappie Defense Strategies Emerge in New Federal Court Filings Judge Vitter heard arguments on May 19, 2026, and said she would issue a written ruling later.16Fox 8 Live. Feds Push to Include New Evidence in Cantrell-Vappie Trial
Cantrell Since Leaving Office
Cantrell served out her second term and left office on January 12, 2026, with an approval rating below 20 percent. Helena Moreno succeeded her; Moreno said Cantrell participated in only one or two transition meetings.17Fox 8 Live. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Leaves Office Facing Federal Prosecution As a private citizen, Cantrell took a one-time lump-sum pension payment of roughly $69,000 rather than wait for monthly benefits at age 65. She remains under court-ordered travel restrictions and is responsible for paying for her own security.18WDSU. LaToya Cantrell Pension