The mayor of New Orleans and bodyguard lover responsible for fraud and corruption

The mayor of New Orleans and his bodyguard were accused of fraud and corruption concerning the affirmations they used public funds to fuel an alleged romance.

Prosecutors said on Friday that Latoya Cantrell had developed a “personal and intimate relationship” with Jeffrey Vappie from October 2021, while he was part of his protective team.

Since then, until his retirement in June 2024, the couple has been accused of having claimed that Mr. Vappie was in service when they were engaged in “personal activities”, including 14 distinct national and international trips.

Neither cantrell nor Mr. Vappie publicly commented on the allegations.

The city of New Orleans told the Associated Press that it was aware of the accusations and that the lawyer of the mayor examined them.

Federal prosecutors allegedly alleged that Cantrell and Vappie used a secure messaging platform WhatsApp and its self-depreciate function while exchanging thousands of messages to “perpetuate their continuous fraud”.

This allowed the pair to hide their relationship and their alleged illegal activity, prosecutors said.

During their stay in New Orleans, they treated an apartment belonging to the city as their personal residence and shared and spent time there while Mr. Vappie claimed to be service and was paid for his protection work, according to the prosecutors.

The two would also have made personal trips – including in a vineyard in California to participate in a wine tasting – while Mr. Vappie was in service to “maximize their time together”, at a cost of $ 70,000.

Asked about these trips, Cantrell previously declared that she had brought a bodyguard with her because of the cocovio pandemic. Prosecutors dispute this assertion and cited opportunities when she traveled alone.

American lawyer Michael Simpson said that their relationship did not constitute a crime, but reflected “a fraud program that used years that used public money for personal purposes by exploiting their power and authority,” said CBS News, the American partner of the BBC.

At an unhappy point of their relationship, a member of the public took photos of Cantrell and Mr. Vappie Dining together while the latter would be in service.

Cantrell submitted a police report and asked for a person for the person, according to the prosecutors.

The two are also accused of intimidating the subordinates, lying to FBI agents and of committing perjury by making false declarations to a large jury – who decide if accusations must be carried in some cases in the United States.

If it is found guilty, one of the accusations could lead to prison terms and fines of several years up to $ 250,000 (£ 184,000).

Cantrell, a Democrat, is the first woman mayor of New Orleans during the 300 years of history of the city, having served since 2018. She is about to leave the office in January.