New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell Makes History In Grand Jury Indictment

Mayor LaToya Cantrell of New Orleans, Louisiana, became the first sitting mayor in the city’s history to be indicted by a federal grand jury Friday.

Cantrell — the first woman to serve as mayor in the city’s 307-year history — has been charged on counts of conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements, fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false declaration before a grand jury, documents obtained by Fox 8 show. (RELATED: ‘How Does This Happen?’: Power Outages Hit Blue City On Holiday Weekend After Months Of Warnings)

We now know this is a superseding indictment. Below are the charges:

Conspiracy

Wire Fraud

Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice

False Statements

Obstruction of Justice pic.twitter.com/FM7tzUvTfT

— Cassie Schirm (@Cassiewdsu) August 15, 2025

The indictment marks the culmination of a federal probe into Cantrell that first came to light in 2022, according to a WWL Louisiana report.

A grand jury began reviewing evidence in February 2024 and previously issued a related indictment last September against city building inspector Randy Farrell, accusing him of conspiring to bribe the mayor with roughly $9,000 in gifts, according to the outlet. The alleged gifts included NFC Championship tickets, a meal at Ruth’s Chris steakhouse and a cell phone in exchange for getting a city official — who was investigating Farrell over allegations of fraud — fired, WWL reported.

The indictment alleges Cantrell and Jeffrey Vappie, a former member of her security detail Executive Protection Unit (EPU), began a personal relationship during a trip to Scotland in October 2021.

To conceal the reported affair and spend more time together, they allegedly defrauded the city by engaging in personal activities while Vappie was on duty and being paid to provide official protection.

Prosecutors allege that as part of the scheme, Cantrell had Vappie accompany her on at least 14 out-of-state trips, claiming she needed security protection. Those trips reportedly cost the City of New Orleans more than $70,000, according to documents.  (RELATED: New Orleans’ FBI Office, Police Department Are Chock-Full Of DEI Nonsense)

The indictment also accuses them of using a city-owned apartment in the Pontalba Building for personal purposes, with Vappie frequently spending time there while he was supposed to be on duty.

The document further alleges that Cantrell and Vappie took multiple steps to obstruct inquiries and the federal grand jury investigation into their relationship and conduct, including communicating through encrypted messaging apps, deleting digital records, and providing false statements to a grand jury.

Of the 16 jurors, at least 12 voted to indict Cantrell, according to a FOX 8 report.

Cantrell has previously publicly denied wrongdoing.

BREAKING: New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell becomes the first mayor in the city’s history to face criminal prosecution while in office. https://t.co/cz6AvTERxq pic.twitter.com/UFXyfzlyDt

— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) August 15, 2025

The mayor’s legal woes reportedly follow years of mounting controversy — including lawsuits over the release of photos and a broken school funding pledge and criticism over frequent travel while the city faced crises like a jail escape and mass power outage.

The Daily Caller reached out to Cantrell’s office for comment but did not receive a response as of publication.