Overview

• Prosecutors filed an 18-count superseding indictment against Cantrell and former bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie on charges including wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false declarations before a grand jury.
• The indictment alleges Cantrell and Vappie exploited paid protection details, official travel and a city-owned Pontalba apartment to conceal a romantic relationship and defraud the city.
• Authorities say the pair used encrypted messaging, deleted electronic evidence and made false statements to impede a federal grand jury investigation.
• Vappie, first charged in July 2024, appears as a co-defendant in the new indictment, which cites at least 14 out-of-state trips costing more than $70,000 in municipal funds.
• Cantrell has denied any wrongdoing, remains in office through January 2026 and will face trial in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.