The news broke on Friday that a federal grand jury in the United States has indicted LaToya Cantrell, the Mayor of New Orleans, making her the first mayor in the city’s history to face federal criminal charges while in office.
The current mayor was sued by the grand jury in the afternoon on Friday for multiple offenses, including wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements, obstructing justice, and perjury before the federal grand jury.
This indictment marks the end of years of corruption investigations by federal authorities into Cantrell, which has loomed over her second term as mayor, set to end in January next year.
Cantrell, the first female mayor in the 300-year history of New Orleans, has now also become the first mayor in the city’s history to face federal criminal charges while in office.
Prosecutors have filed an alternate indictment against Cantrell in the case of Jeffrey Vappie. Vappie, who previously worked for the New Orleans Police Department as Cantrell’s bodyguard, was charged last summer with wire fraud and false statements. According to the new indictment, he faces additional charges.
This criminal prosecution against Cantrell stems from a broad investigation into her spending, political activities, and other behaviors, marking a low point in the political career of the Democratic mayor. Cantrell, a former community organizer, rose from a city council member eight years ago to the city’s top executive, stunning the local political scene.
The New Orleans City Hall news office and Cantrell’s lawyers have not immediately commented on the indictment.
With her term entering its final stages and the impact of the federal investigation, Cantrell has distanced herself from former allies and supporters, gradually fading from the public eye.
Cantrell and her remaining allies claim that as a Black woman, she has been unfairly targeted and her executive powers deliberately undermined.
She also becomes the second mayor in New Orleans history to face criminal charges. Former Mayor Ray Nagin underwent a federal investigation during his tenure (2002 to 2010) but was only indicted for corruption charges in 2013 after leaving office and was convicted in 2014, receiving a 10-year prison sentence.