The mayor of New Orleans, Latoya Cantrell, charged after a federal survey on corruption

The mayor of New Orleans, Latoya Cantrell, was charged after an investigation into corruption and is accused of having defrauded the city while trying to keep his romantic relationship with a police officer a secret, Federal prosecutors announced on Friday.

Cantrell is accused of conspiracy to commit fraud by wire, conspiracy to hinder justice, to make false declarations and false declarations before a large jury, according to a federal indictment filed Friday before the American district court of the eastern District of Louisiana.

Shortly after News broke out allegations, a cantrell lawyer told NBC News that they had not yet seen the indictment and had no comments.

Prosecutors allege that Cantrell was in a romantic relationship with Jeffrey Paul Vappie II, who was a member of the Executive Protection Unit during May 2021 to April 2024.

“To hide their relationships with detection and to maximize their time together, Cantrell and Vappie have exploited their public posts to develop and implement a regime to defraud the city of New Orleans and the New Orleans police service by engaging in personal activities while Vappie claimed to be in service and was paid,” said the accusation.

Friday, the president of the municipal council of New Orleans, JP Morrell, offered prayers to Cantrell and his family.

“Our office is aware of the indictment that has been tabled today,” Morrell said in a statement. “It’s a sad day for the inhabitants of New Orleans. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cantrell family as they sail through this difficult period.”

Cantrell, a democrat, purges his last mandate as mayor and should leave his duties in January.

She is a democrat and the first woman mayor of the city during her 300 years of history. Her second term was turbulent and she survived a recall effort in 2022.