New Orleans, a city with a storied past and a reputation for both resilience and political intrigue, has once again found itself at the center of a major public corruption scandal. On August 15, 2025, just months before she was set to leave office due to term limits, Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted on federal charges that prosecutors allege stem from a yearslong effort to conceal a romantic relationship with her bodyguard, Jeffrey Paul Vappie II. The case, which has sent shockwaves through City Hall and the broader New Orleans community, paints a picture of deception, misuse of public funds, and a bitterly divided local political scene.
According to the indictment, Cantrell, the first female mayor in New Orleans’ 300-year history, faces charges of conspiracy, fraud, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. The accusations center on an alleged scheme in which Vappie was paid by the city as if he were working official duties, while in reality, he and Cantrell were spending time alone in apartments and traveling together to vineyards and other destinations. As reported by the Associated Press and Los Angeles Times, the pair’s relationship was described in the indictment as “personal and intimate,” despite their public assertions that it was strictly professional.
The grand jury’s 18-count indictment, which added Cantrell to the case already pending against Vappie, details how the two used encrypted WhatsApp messages—over 15,000 in total—to communicate in secret, coordinate their meetings, and allegedly delete evidence. Prosecutors allege that these messages included efforts to not only cover their tracks but also to make false statements to FBI agents and commit perjury before a federal grand jury. Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson told reporters, “This is extremely significant. Public corruption has crippled us for years and years.”
The specifics of the alleged misconduct are as colorful as they are damning. The indictment outlines trips to Scotland in October 2021, Martha’s Vineyard in September 2022, and several excursions to California wineries in 2022. In one WhatsApp exchange cited by prosecutors, Vappie reminisced about the Scotland trip, calling it “where it all started.” The mayor, meanwhile, wrote to Vappie during a Martha’s Vineyard trip, “The times when we are truly [traveling] is what spoils me the most.” These trips, authorities say, were described by Cantrell as times “when they were truly alone.”
All told, New Orleans taxpayers footed more than $70,000 for Vappie’s travel expenses, according to Simpson. The indictment even alleges that on April 9, 2022, while Vappie was wine tasting in Napa Valley, he claimed to be working a 15-hour day. The city’s funds, prosecutors argue, were misused to support a personal relationship under the guise of official business.
Efforts to maintain secrecy went beyond encrypted messaging. Cantrell and Vappie, prosecutors say, intimidated subordinates, lied to colleagues, and deleted evidence. The mayor is accused of lying in a 2021 affidavit about activating an auto-delete function on her phone; in reality, she only enabled the feature in December 2022—after media speculation about her conduct began to swirl. When a private citizen took photos of Cantrell and Vappie dining and drinking wine together, Cantrell filed a police report and sought a restraining order, further escalating the controversy.
The fallout has been swift. The City of New Orleans issued a statement acknowledging the indictment and noting that the mayor’s attorney was reviewing the charges. Cantrell herself has not posted on her official social media accounts since July 15, when she touted historic declines in city crime. Her allies, meanwhile, have argued that she is being unfairly targeted as a Black woman and held to a different standard than male officials. “It’s irrelevant that it’s romance or that it’s female,” Simpson countered, insisting that the investigation was about public trust and not personal relationships or identity politics.
Cantrell’s rise to power was historic and, for a time, marked by notable achievements. Elected in 2017 as a Democrat promising to be a candidate for the people and not of the city’s entrenched political class, she secured tens of millions of dollars for infrastructure improvements and took decisive action during the COVID-19 pandemic. She won re-election in 2021 with little opposition. However, her second term quickly became turbulent. After Hurricane Ida in 2021, the city struggled with uncollected trash and rising crime. Cantrell faced criticism for taking first-class trips at city expense—violating a policy that required cheaper fares—and for using a city-owned apartment as a part-time residence. She ultimately agreed to repay the difference for her travel and survived a recall campaign in 2022, which was launched by disaffected Democrats and funded by wealthy Republicans.
The broader context of Cantrell’s indictment is a city and state with a long, troubled history of public corruption. As Simpson noted, “Public corruption has crippled us for years and years.” Former Mayor Ray Nagin, for example, was sentenced in 2014 to 10 years in prison for bribery, money laundering, and fraud related to his time in office from 2002 to 2010. Other officials, including sheriffs and federal judges, have also faced convictions or impeachment for abusing their positions. Cantrell is now the first sitting New Orleans mayor to be charged while in office, joining a list of over 100 Louisiana officials brought up on corruption charges since Hurricane Katrina.
The political landscape in New Orleans has shifted in recent years. Voters have approved charter changes to curb mayoral authority, and Cantrell’s relationships with City Council members have grown increasingly adversarial. Her early achievements have been overshadowed by what political observers describe as self-inflicted wounds and bitter feuds. As Cantrell prepares to leave office in less than five months, her legacy is now uncertain, clouded by allegations of betrayal of public trust and a dramatic fall from grace.
For many in New Orleans, the news is both shocking and sadly familiar. As Monet Brignac, spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell, put it, “This is a sad day for the people of New Orleans.” The city’s struggle with corruption continues, reminding residents that the fight for transparent and accountable government is far from over.
With the case against Cantrell and Vappie now moving forward, the city waits to see what the final chapter will bring for its first female mayor—and whether New Orleans can finally turn the page on a long history of political scandal.