Rachel Muller-Heyndyk
BBC News
The mayor of New Orleans and her bodyguard have been charged with fraud and corruption over claims they used public funds to fuel an alleged romance.
Prosecutors said on Friday that LaToya Cantrell developed a “personal, intimate relationship” with Jeffrey Vappie from October 2021, while he was part of her protection team.
From then until his retirement in June 2024, the pair are accused of claiming Mr Vappie was on duty when they were actually engaged in “personal activities”, including during 14 separate domestic and international trips.
Neither Cantrell nor Mr Vappie have publicly commented on the allegations.
The City of New Orleans told the Associated Press that it was aware of the charges and that the mayor’s lawyer was reviewing them.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Cantrell and Mr Vappie used secure messaging platform WhatsApp and its auto-delete function while exchanging thousands of messages to “perpetuate their continued fraud”.
This allowed the pair to hide their relationship and their alleged unlawful activity, prosecutors said.
While in New Orleans, they treated a city-owned apartment as their personal, shared residence and spent time there together while Mr Vappie claimed to be on duty and was being paid for his protection work, prosecutors allege.
The two were also said to have taken personal trips – including to a vineyard in California to take part in a wine tasting – while Mr Vappie was on duty to “maximize their time together”, at a cost of $70,000.
When asked about these trips, Cantrell previously said she brought a bodyguard with her as a matter of safety due to the Covid pandemic. Prosecutors contest this claim, and cited occasions when she travelled alone.
US attorney Michael Simpson said their relationship did not constitute a crime, but reflected “a years-long fraud scheme that used public money for personal ends by exploiting their power and their authority”, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
At an undisclosed point in their relationship, a member of the public took photos of Cantrell and Mr Vappie dining together while the latter was said to be on duty.
Cantrell filed a police report and sought a restraining order against the individual, prosecutors claim.
The two are also accused of intimidating subordinates, lying to FBI agents and committing perjury by making false statements to a grand jury – which decide whether charges should be brought in certain cases in the US.
If found guilty, any of the charges could bring multi-year prison sentences and fines of up to $250,000 (£184,000).
Cantrell, a Democrat, is the first female mayor of New Orleans in the city’s 300-year history, having served since 2018. She is is set to leave the office in January.
