New Orleans (AP) – Mayor of New Orleans Latoya Cantrell on Friday was accused of what prosecutors called a long -term scheme to hide a romantic relationship with his bodyguard, who is accused of paying as if they were working alone and traveled to wine tasting wines.
The Federal Great Jury accused Cantrell of charges of conspiracy, fraud, and obstacles, less than five months before it leaves for the limits of terms. The first woman’s mayor in New Orleans in 300 years in history has now become the first mayor of the city to be accused of duty.
“The corruption of society has excited us for years,” said US lawyer Michael Simpson, a US lawyer, indicating the famous story of Louziana. “And this is extremely significant.”
Cantrell’s bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie has already faced accusations of a cord fraud and false statements. He did not admit to guilty. The big jury on Friday returned the 18th indictment, which added Cantrell to the case.
They are accused of exchanging encrypted messages through the program to avoid detection and delete conversations. The mayor and Vappie said their relationship was strictly professional.
2021 “Cantrell and Wappie established personal and intimate relationships. To hide their relationship and maximize their time together, Cantrell and Wappie have exploited their public positions to create and implement a fraudster,” says the indictment.
They met in the apartment and Vappie said you were on duty, and she made sure that Vappie would be involved in 14 trips, Simpson said. He added that the trips were described as times, “when they were really alone.”
Simpson said Cantrell lied in a statement that she had activated her phone feature that automatically deleted messages in 2021, when it really did not activate the function until 2022, a month after the media began to guess the couple’s behavior.
When a private citizen photographed them while dinner and drinking wine, Cantrell filed a police report and searched for a restraint order, he said.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to the Associated Press phone message or email. A letter to comment on taxes.
Cantrell and her remaining allies said she was unfairly directed as a black woman and followed the level of other level than male officials, her executive power.
However, Simpson shocked the claims that race and sex influenced the study.
“It doesn’t matter that it is a romance or a woman,” he told reporters, adding that allegations were ‘incredible betrayal of people’s confidence in your government. “
Democrat Cantrell faced the city council during a turbulent second term and survived the revocation efforts in 2022.
“It’s a sad day for the people of New Orleans,” said Monet Brights, a representative of the City Council chairman. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cantrell family when they browse in this difficult time.”
From July 15 Cantrell did not send a report of its official X channel X, formerly known as Twitter when she said the city was suffering from a historical reduction in crime.
When she was in the last months of her duties, Cantrell alienated with former trustees and supporters and her civic profile withdrew. Her early achievements were obscured by self -made wounds and bitter rage with hostile city council, says political observers. The mayor’s role was weakened after voters’ approved changes in the city charter, which had to curb its authority.
Earlier this year, Cantrell said she had faced “very disrespectful, offensive, in some cases as unimaginable” treatment.
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Hollingsworth reported from the mission, Kansas.