Federal grand jury indicted New Orleans Mayor Cantrell for using city bodyguard on taxpayer-funded personal trips

On August 15, 2025, a federal grand jury returned an 18-count indictment against New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and former New Orleans Police Department officer Jeffrey Vappie. The indictment, brought by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Simpson of the Eastern District of Louisiana, charged Cantrell with conspiracy, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice stemming from what prosecutors described as a years-long scheme to use Vappie — her city-assigned bodyguard — for personal purposes while he remained on the city payroll.

According to the indictment, Cantrell arranged for Vappie to accompany her on at least 14 trips, including travel to Scotland, Martha's Vineyard, and Napa Valley wine country, at a total taxpayer cost of more than $70,000. The pair are alleged to have used WhatsApp for more than 15,000 messages, including efforts to delete evidence of their conduct, make false statements to FBI agents, and commit perjury before the grand jury. The indictment alleged that Cantrell deliberately activated a message-deletion feature on her phone in December 2022 — a month after media speculation about her relationship with Vappie began — while claiming to investigators that she had activated it in 2021. The mayor and Vappie had publicly described their relationship as strictly professional. Vappie had already been indicted separately on wire fraud and false statement charges stemming from the investigation. "Public corruption has crippled us for years and years," Simpson said at a press conference. "And this is extremely significant." Cantrell denied wrongdoing.

Cantrell was the first sitting New Orleans mayor to be charged while in office. She served two terms, the second through early January 2026 when term limits ended her tenure.

Updates

2025-09-10 — Cantrell and Vappie pleaded not guilty at arraignment [4]

Cantrell entered a not guilty plea to 11 criminal counts — including conspiracy, wire fraud, and obstruction of justice — at an arraignment before Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby. The court released Cantrell without bail but required her to surrender her passport and restricted her domestic travel to the 13 parishes under the jurisdiction of the New Orleans federal court. An initial trial date was set for November 17, 2025.

2026-07-01 — Trial postponed from October 2026 to March 15, 2027 [5]

Following a motion for continuance by Vappie's counsel, citing an "arduous trial calendar" and co-counsel's ongoing recovery, the court reset the jury trial from October 19, 2026, to March 15, 2027, with a final pretrial conference scheduled for February 18, 2027. Cantrell's counsel also requested additional time to prepare, citing a recently filed motion to compel.