This story was originally published by Verite News
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, whose extensive, publicly funded travel is at the heart of a federal corruption case against her, will be barred from leaving the country pending trial, a judge ruled Wednesday (Sept. 10) during Cantrell’s first court appearance since she was indicted last month.
Cantrell entered a not guilty plea to 11 criminal counts — including conspiracy, wire fraud and obstruction of justice — during the arraignment hearing before Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby, who set the terms for Cantrell’s release pending trial.
While Roby released Cantrell without bail, she will have to surrender her passport. The mayor’s domestic travel, meanwhile, will be limited to the 13 parishes under the jurisdiction of the New Orleans federal court, unless she gets clearance from the court.
The charges, first announced on Aug. 15, stemmed from Cantrell’s alleged years-long affair with New Orleans Police Department officer Jeffrey Vappie, who served on her four-person security detail.
Federal prosecutors allege that Cantrell illegally used her position to spend personal time with Vappie while he was on the clock – often earning overtime pay. The indictment also details how Cantrell allegedly arranged for regular out-of-state trips with Vappie, spending over $70,000 in taxpayer dollars on his travel costs, which included not only transportation, but meals and overtime pay. In addition to charges of conspiracy and wire fraud, federal prosecutors further charge that Cantrell lied and withheld evidence from prosecutors, even after being subpoenaed.
Cantrell arrived at New Orleans federal court shortly after 1 p.m., flanked by her attorney Eddie Castaing and city Communications Director Terry Davis. She did not offer comments to members of the press waiting outside.
“Regarding today’s arraignment, the City of New Orleans will continue to stand by its policy of reserving comment,” a Wednesday afternoon statement from the Mayor’s Office. “Additionally, on the advice of counsel, the Mayor will not make any statements before or after today’s legal proceedings.”
Cantrell’s appearance in court marks the beginning of the end of her turbulent second term as mayor, a period that has been marked by unrelenting scrutiny, from a strident effort to recall her from office to multiple clashes with the New Orleans City Council, not to mention years of rumors swirling about her alleged affair with Vappie.
Now, Cantrell, who came into office on a victorious note as the city’s first female mayor, will exit with a different moniker: New Orleans’ first mayor to be indicted while still in office.
Cantrell’s attorney, Eddie Castaing, did not respond to a request for comment.
“Residents that paid any attention to this are not surprised that she got indicted,” Rafael Goyeneche, a former prosecutor and current president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, told Verite News, noting that Vappie was first indicted last year for charges of wire fraud due to overtime he logged while allegedly spending personal time with Cantrell.
“And I think most people are sophisticated enough to realize that neither one of them were indicted for having a personal relationship; They were indicted for using public funds to finance and pay for their personal relationship,” he added.
Goyeneche also said that there was another reason residents might not be surprised: this isn’t the first time that Cantrell has gotten in trouble for misusing city funds.
“What we’re seeing her do as mayor she did to a lesser extent as a member of the city council,” Goyeneche said.
In October 2017, during Cantrell’s first successful bid for mayor, records revealed that Cantrell had charged several thousand dollars of personal expenses, including travel and meals, to her City Council credit card. She later reimbursed the city for the expenses.
“The only difference between being a councilmember and the mayor is you get a lot more power and you get access to a lot more money,” Goyeneche said.
In a similar scandal in 2018, Mayor Megan Barry of Nashville admitted to a personal relationship with her head of security, which also involved improper use of city funds to pay for travel and overtime pay. Barry later resigned from office and pleaded guilty to charges of theft. Under her plea agreement, she was sentenced to three years of probation and required to reimburse the city for the misspent funds.
‘It’s always a concern to me when New Orleans is portrayed in a negative light’
The indictment of Cantrell has brought additional national attention to New Orleans – a Democratic stronghold in a Republican-dominated state. The city has frequently been at the center of conservative maelstroms, from how the city has handled encampments to the implementation of a citywide ID program. Most recently, President Donald Trump suggested last week that he might deploy the National Guard to the city to address crime, despite the fact that violent crime has been on a rapid decline in the city over the last few years.
Cantrell, as the leader of the blue city, is arguably one of the most prominent Democrats in Louisiana. Perhaps because of this, local and state Democratic Party leaders have taken a cautious approach in talking about her indictment.
“So, it’s always a concern to me when New Orleans is portrayed in a negative light,” Leslie Bouie, chair of the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee, told Verite News. “However, I do feel that the mayor deserves a day in court. She hasn’t been convicted of anything yet. So, for me, it’s unfortunate that it happened. I’m concerned that it did happen. But I think we have to wait and see how it plays out in the courts.”
Dadrius Lanus, the new executive director of the Louisiana Democratic Party, declined to comment on the indictment – saying he wanted to watch it play out – but said that he was confident that the city would soon be led by a strong Democratic leader after the fall municipal elections.
“There are some tremendous candidates right now who have represented the Democratic Party well, and we are just very excited about who could possibly win,” Lanus said. “The city of New Orleans is one of the most vibrant and creative cities across our country, and it serves as a platform not only for our state, but also for the Democratic Party.”
When the indictment was announced last month, the Democratic front-runners in the mayoral race – Councilmembers Helena Moreno and Oliver Thomas, as well as State Senator Royce Duplessis – largely refrained from attacking Cantrell and instead emphasizing the need for a fair trial.
“The mayor is entitled to a presumption of innocence and a vigorous defense,” Moreno said in a statement at the time.
“The announcement today reminds us of the need to let the justice system work in a fair, timely fashion and without regard to politics or preference,” Thomas said.
Aliana Mediratta contributed to this report.