The former mayor of New Orleans has been hit with fresh accusations as she faces a criminal court case for allegedly committing wire fraud with her bodyguard, with whom prosecutors believe she was romantically involved.
LaToya Cantrell and her longtime bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, were indicted in federal court in 2024 on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy and false statements for allegedly using public funds on romantic getaways before attempting to cover it up.
Cantrell served as mayor of the Louisiana city for eight years. She left office in January after her approval rating dipped to 20 percent while facing federal criminal charges.
New court filings by prosecutors have alleged lavish personal gifts that Cantrell did not disclose when prompted by law enforcement.
Among those gifts was a gold ring with the New Orleans Police Department crescent, which Vappie previously wore while on the force.
The ring was one of two that Vappie allegedly gifted Cantrell. Cantrell noted in a 2023 affidavit that Vappie had gifted her a smaller diamond ring but failed to tell law enforcement about the second golden ring, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors included multiple photos of Cantrell allegedly wearing the rings Vappie gifted her.
One photo depicted screenshots of messages that appeared to show Cantrell’s hand with two rings.
Former Mayor LaToya Cantrell is facing federal charges on accusations that she used public funds to cover up a romantic relationship with her bodyguard. Evidence from court records is pictured above allegedly showing her with rings her bodyguard gifted her
Prosecutors included multiple photos in court records allegedly showing Cantrell wearing a gold ring gifted to her by her bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, pictured above
Cantrell served the city of New Orleans as mayor for eight years but stepped down in January after she was federally indicted. She’s pictured above in January
The messages read: ‘Hey did you tell [redacted] you put a ring on it?’ Another message responded: ‘Two,’ and included a photo allegedly of Cantrell’s hand with the golden ring.
Court filings also included a picture of Cantrell allegedly wearing the ring on December 22, 2021, while signing ordinances.
Another photo allegedly showed her wearing the gold ring at an official event on January 6, 2022.
Prosecutors even argued that Cantrell’s official mayoral portrait showed her wearing two rings on her fingers, allegedly a diamond ring and a golden ring gifted to her by Vappie.
Vappie was also accused of failing to provide records of gifts he gave to Cantrell, despite a federal subpoena demanding that he produce correspondence concerning gifts or ‘anything of value.’
The defense argued in a response that the golden ring was not a gift from Vappie. Defense attorneys noted that Cantrell was wearing the ring when she appeared in front of a grand jury on June 28, 2024.
‘Ms. Cantrell wore it in front of the Government, the grand jury, her Magistrate court appearance, and everywhere publicly,’ court filings read.
‘Because the ring was not a delivered gift, in the legal sense, it is not a similar ‘crime, wrong,’ or any offense. And, it was not concealed.’
Prosecutors have accused Cantrell of using taxpayer dollars for trips with her bodyguard and alleged boyfriend. They are pictured above at dinner
Prosecutors included multiple photos of Cantrell allegedly wearing the gold ring, pictured above
Prosecutors have accused Cantrell of failing to report both rings as gifts from Vappie
Prosecutors have also alleged in a new court filing that Cantrell misused campaign funds for personal benefit.
Cantrell was accused of using campaign money to purchase alcohol during the pandemic and luxurious clothing.
Prosecutors argued that a staffer, referred to in court documents as ‘Associate A’ confronted her about these purchases, but was disregarded.
She allegedly purchased over $9,000 worth of alcohol from a local liquor store using campaign funds from March to October in 2020, in addition to $259,559 for a personal stylist from 2017 through 2020, according to court documents.
Cantrell has not been charged with misusing campaign dollars. Her lawyers said that her funds have been public, and an ethics investigation determined that those purchases were not violations.
Cantrell’s lawyer, Eddie Castaing, argued in a court hearing on Tuesday that the prosecution was attempting to paint her as a ‘drunk’ and punish her for pursuing an alleged romantic relationship, NOLA reported.
Vappie’s attorney, Shaun Clarke, argued that the government failed to provide proof that the ring even existed.
Prosecutors pointed to a screenshot of a $200 CashApp payment, which the defense argued ‘may or may not’ have been for the ring.
‘Out of 4,500 federal statutes, I haven’t found one that says falling in love was a federal offense,’ Castaing said.
Prosecutors said the gold ring had a New Orleans Police Department crescent, which Vappie previously wore while on the force, pictured above in court documents
Cantrell was married to Jason Cantrell, pictured above. Jason died in 2023 and the two are pictured above together in 2013
Vappie, pictured above, was a member of Cantrell’s security detail and previously served on the New Orleans Police Department
Prosecutors have argued that Cantrell and Vappie also spent tens of thousands of city dollars on romantic trips while he was being paid to serve on her security detail.
The prosecution believes the two began their intimate relationship as early as October 2021. Cantrell was married at the time to her late husband Jason, who died of a heart attack in 2023.
Cantrell and Vappie are also accused of exchanging encrypted messages on WhatsApp to avoid detection, then deleting the conversations.
Cantrell’s lawyers filed their 164-page opposition to the prosecution’s charges earlier this month.
The case is being tried by US Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg and Nicholas Dupuy Moses, while Trump-appointed Judge Wendy Vitter is presiding.
Vitter will determine whether the evidence of gifts will be admissible in trial, which is set to commence in October.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Cantrell and Vappie’s attorneys for comment.
