A new court filing from the U.S. Attorney's office includes claims that the former mayor of New Orleans and her codefendant misspent thousands of dollars and conspired to hide the expenses from investigators.
According to our partners at NOLA.com, prosecutors want to use this as evidence against LaToya Cantrell and Jeffrey Vappie in their upcoming federal trial on charges of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of justice and other charges.
The filing says Vappie, alleged to have had an affair with the mayor, gifted her with a pair of gold rings, one with a diamond, the other with the NOPD logo, then conspired to conceal the gifts.
It also says the mayor misspent more than $250,000 of campaign money on alcohol and clothing for herself.
The alcohol purchases the feds mention took place between March and December 2020. Financial disclosures from Cantrell claimed it was "food and beverage for supporters and donors," but most of that time period was during the COVID pandemic lockdowns, when orders from the mayor's office prohibited many gatherings.
It will be up to U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter to decide if the evidence will be admitted or not during the trial, which is set to begin in October.
