Overview

• The superseding federal indictment returned on August 15 charges Cantrell with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements and false declarations before a grand jury.
• Prosecutors allege she concealed a personal relationship with bodyguard Jeffrey Paul Vappie II by billing the city for at least 14 trips that cost taxpayers over $70,000.
• The indictment asserts Cantrell and Vappie exchanged more than 15,000 encrypted WhatsApp messages, deleted conversations and lied under oath to impede federal inquiries.
• Vappie, who had already pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and false statement charges, now faces an expanded case in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana alongside Cantrell.
• Cantrell is the first New Orleans mayor to be federally charged while in office, and she remains in her term until January 2026 as the case unfolds.