Once referred to as “the worst mayor in America“ and known in the New Orleans area by the sobriquet “LaToya the Destroyer” due to her destructive anti-business policies, which have brought much damage to the City that Care Forgot, LaToya Cantrell has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of defrauding taxpayers to hide an intimate relationship with her “bodyguard.” He was also indicted on various similar charges.
As one who was born in and lived in the once beautiful Crescent City, my attention was drawn to the sleazy practices of this tawdry “public servant” a few years ago, when she was the subject of a recall election due to her blatantly exorbitant expenditure of public funds. She was reportedly taking lavish trips to such exotic destinations as Singapore, Switzerland, France (first class, natch!), Scotland, Dubai, San Francisco, and others on the public dime.
I decided to take a closer look at her escapades. My findings were collected in a post in 2022 entitled “Meet New Orleans’ LaToya the Destroya — Worst Mayor In America“ for further reference to events which led up to yesterday’s indictment. Going back to that piece proved interesting on several levels, one of which is the regrettable fact that the competition for “Worst Mayor in America” has become much more intense, considering the records of Mayor Karen Bass in L.A., Mayor Brandon Johnson in Chicago, and the apparently inevitable elections of a communist Muslim in New York City and a socialist Muslim in Minneapolis. Additionally, a few years ago, the “intimate relationship” that forms the basis of the latest indictment was only hinted at as a mere item of gossip, but its outlines have now been much more clearly drawn in significant detail in these charges.
The Department of Justice press release may be accessed here, but here are the basics, described by one article as “garden variety fraud.” Her Honor and her “bodyguard” took many steps to hide their scheme, including using an encrypted messaging platform for over 15,000 messages, pictures, etc. (techniques adapted from the Strzok-Page lovebirds?), committed perjury in grand jury investigations, lied to FBI agents, and various and sundry other distinctly un-official activities. As one commentator noted, “as it comes to corruption in Louisiana, one has higher expectations for creativity,” but the following should qualify as at least moderately inspired:
The indictment alleges that “during shifts Vappie claimed to be on duty for EPU, he frequently spent time inside the Pontalba Apartment both with Cantrell and alone.” Federal prosecutors say this was part of a broader scheme to conceal the pair’s personal relationship while billing the city for on-duty hours. Around the same time, Vappie’s wife filed for divorce, citing the alleged relationship in court filings, according to local reports.
A unit in the Pontalba Apartments, a historic city-owned property in the French Quarter, has long been considered a ceremonial perk of the mayor’s office, used to host visiting dignitaries, Mardi Gras festivities, and other official functions, not as a permanent residence.
Another “juicy” adventure, no pun intended, involved a day spent wine-tasting in Napa Valley, as outlined in the DOJ press release:
The superseding indictment also alleges that CANTRELL and VAPPIE arranged for VAPPIE to accompany CANTRELL on at least 14 domestic and international trips to maximize their time together and engage in personal activities. In their private text messages, CANTRELL characterized trips with VAPPIE as “times when we are truly alone” and what “spoils me the most.” These trips included trips to San Francisco, which VAPPIE and CANTRELL decided to extend an extra day so they could visit a series of Napa Valley wineries. While VAPPIE was wine tasting, on April 9, 2022, he claimed to work, and was paid for working, a 15-hour day.
As I commented in my 2022 post, “nice work if you can get it!”
As an attorney, I would be remiss if I did not note that both the mayor and Vappie are entitled to the presumption of innocence under our Constitution. Additionally, as one with more than a passing familiarity with the demographics that will be factored into any jury they will face, one must recognize the fact that as provable as these charges may appear, they will face serious challenges in a full trial on the merits.
That said, these indictments are as welcome as a breath of fresh air, and we can only harbor a fervent hope that more calls to account for the obvious public miscreants in our midst will be forthcoming around the country — especially Washington, D.C.
Image: Ken Lund via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.