New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is facing intensifying scrutiny as allegations of misusing taxpayer funds and engaging in an extramarital affair with NOPD Officer Jeffrey Vappie emerge.
The FBI has initiated an investigation, with a focus on the city-owned Upper Pontalba apartment, where the two were allegedly seen together during Vappie’s off-duty hours.
Sources with knowledge of the FBI’s inquiry claim that federal agents are probing Cantrell and Vappie’s relationship and the time spent in the city-owned apartment.
The New Orleans City Council has reacted by prohibiting Cantrell and future mayors from using the apartment.
Vappie’s wife filed for divorce amidst reports of her husband’s potential infidelity with the mayor, with sightings of them partying together in Los Angeles and even Scotland.
In court documents, according to reports sighted by ShineMyCrown.Com, Vappie’s wife mentioned that he admitted to an affair with a “Mrs. L.C.,” widely believed to be Cantrell.
Both parties have denied any wrongdoing, insisting their connection is strictly professional.
Also, a recent investigation by Fox 8 shed light on Cantrell’s expenses during a December 2023 trip to a climate action conference in Dubai.
Documents revealed a total expenditure of $15,000, primarily covering Vappie’s travel costs.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors covered Cantrell’s first-class roundtrip and hotel stay, but the city-funded $1,300 for her spending money and $14,000 for Vappie’s travel expenses.
Cantrell’s previous controversies include breaching a policy against using public funds for first-class flights.
In late 2022, she faced criticism for spending tens of thousands on first-class travel to France and Switzerland, which violated city policy.
Cantrell defended her choice, citing safety concerns for Black women on certain commercial flights. However, she later repaid the city $29,000 for her travels to Europe.
Questions surrounding Cantrell’s use of taxpayer funds and her relationship with Officer Vappie cast a shadow over her tenure as the first woman elected mayor of New Orleans.
The developments also raise parallels with the recent allegations against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is accused of having an affair with the prosecutor of the Donald Trump Georgia case, Nathan Wade.
