The embattled New Orleans mayor is now accused of having an “ongoing adulterous affair” with the former chief of her police department, who has since been suspended over an investigation into irregularities involving his pay.
The latest allegations came to light after New Orleans police detective’s wife Jeffrey Vappie, 50, amended her divorce filing to claim that her estranged husband was involved in a sexual relationship with a woman known only as “Mrs. LC’
Multiple media outlets in the region have confirmed that “Mrs. LC’ is the city’s mayor, LaToya Cantrell, 50. Cantrell became the first woman elected mayor of New Orleans in 2018. She is currently struggling with a recall attempt amid numerous financial scandals.
Vappie’s wife, Danielle, claims her husband and the mayor have been running the affair since May 2021, the same month he began work on Cantrell’s detail.
Since 2022, Fox New Orleans has aired numerous videos of Mayor Latoya Cantrell and her bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie walking into a city apartment together
Jeffrey Vappie’s wife, pictured here, Danielle, is a New Orleans school principal. She claims her estranged husband admitted to her that he was having an affair
Danielle made the changes to her divorce filing this month. Last year, Fox New Orleans reported that Vappie spent more than five hours of his workday with Cantrell at a public apartment in the Upper Pontalba neighborhood.
Following these reports, Vappie was investigated over the hours he allegedly clocked in. In January 2022, he was also accused of spending $916 on a single night in a Washington DC hotel room.
He is also said to have traveled with her to a party in Los Angeles for dinner where Brad Pitt was among the guests. He also accompanied her on a trip to Scotland.
As of October 2021, Cantrell’s decision to bring safety to travel has cost taxpayers more than $50,000, Fox 8 News calculated.
Vappie also spent 112 hours in her apartment over a 27-day period and was even spotted watering her plants
The broadcaster reports that Vappie has confessed to his wife’s affair. The couple have been separated since November 2022. At the time of writing, Vappie is no longer in the mayor’s details.
According to a Fox New Orleans study, Vappie spent 112 hours over a 27-day period at Cantrell’s apartment and was even spotted watering her plants
The broadcaster reports that Vappie has confessed to his wife pictured here about the affair
Mayor Latoya Cantrell pictured with her husband Jason, she has not given any statements on the status of their marriage
Vappie has been a detective with the New Orleans City Police Department since 1997, according to his LinkedIn page. In 2020 he received a Masters in Government Administration.
His wife, Danielle, is the Chief Academic Officer at the Einstein Charter Schools in New Orleans. According to the school’s website, Danielle is the principal.
She is a graduate of the University of New Orleans and Xavier University of Louisiana. Danielle is also a US Army veteran, serving between 1988 and 2000.
Rafael Goyeneche, President of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, told Fox New Orleans following recent allegations that the revelations could raise ethical and criminal concerns for the couple.
Goyeneche said Vappie could be exposed if it is revealed he has not performed police duties while on duty.
He said: “When he was in town time and filling his paycheck. If he was negligent in office, he would not perform his officially assigned duties while he was with the mayor. Those are some potential state violations.”
Goyenche added that these alleged offenses could extend to federal territory regarding potential wire fraud and misuse of federal funds. He also said it’s likely investigators want to speak to Vappie’s wife.
Mayor Cantrell breaks ground on a construction project at the school, where Denise Vappie is the principal, in June 2021. A month earlier, Jeffrey Vappie joined the mayoral detail
Vappie and the Mayor leave the apartment in the Upper Pontalba Building together. But she was also pictured walking through the same area alone, raising questions as to why she needed Vappie’s services in the first place
Cantrell is married to attorney Jason Cantrell. The couple have one daughter, RayAnn. Jason Cantrell is no longer mentioned on the mayor’s official biography page. The mayor last mentioned her husband on Twitter in June 2021 when she wished him a happy birthday.
In November 2022, it was reported that Cantrell had upgraded hotel bookings to stay in king suites during her trips to Washington DC and San Francisco in January and April of that year, potentially incurring a cost of around $2,400.
A month earlier, Cantrell had to repay nearly $30,000 to the city after violating its guidelines by upgrading its flights to first class and initially claiming economy flights were unsafe for black women.
New Orleans city policy dictates that similar rules apply to hotel room upgrades.
The policy states: “Upgrades to hotel accommodations at the City’s expense are not permitted unless the hotel is unable to provide the permitted accommodations at the time required to fulfill the purpose of the trip.
Hotel Washington in Washington DC, where Cantrell spent nearly $2,500 for a king suite
The Hyatt Regency SOMA in San Francisco where Cantrell stayed cost nearly $2,000
When Cantrell traveled to San Francisco in April, she stayed at the Hyatt Regency SOMA, where she was upgraded to a king suite for nearly $2,000, $800 more than other city officials.
Similarly, on a trip to DC in January, she stayed at the Hotel Washington and again stayed in a king suite.
When Cantrell went to Reno, Nevada, in June, her room cost hundreds more than other city employees who traveled.
Metropolitan Crime Commission head Rafael told Fox 8 News he believes the hotel upgrades are also a breach of city policy.
Cantrell’s stylist – who she’s paid $175,000 since 2017 – is also facing a possible criminal investigation over the thousands she’s spent on clothes for lawmakers.
In recent months, her administration has been dogged by allegations of misuse of funds and resources – with the Democrat leader even complaining to the Society for Professional Journalists about the scrutiny.
The journalists’ panel found the investigation “entirely reasonable and journalistically ethical.”
“Anyone who wants to ask how I protect myself just doesn’t understand the world that black women walk in,” she said at a news conference. Cantrell was later shamed into repaying public funds she had used for the luxurious trips abroad.
Critics noted that although she feared for her safety on a flight to Paris, she felt sufficiently safe to walk through the city’s French Quarter on her own, even though New Orleans has one of the highest homicide rates in the United States.
Amid the scandal, Cantrell repaid the money she spent on her first-class flights: $40,000 for a four-day trip to France in June, with her own first-class flight costing nearly $18,000 during her assistants traveled in economy.
“My travel accommodations are a matter of safety, not luxury,” said Cantrell, who earns about $188,000.
Cantrell also faced questions about $175,000 in payments made since 2017 by Cantrell’s campaign to her “image consultant,” Tanya Haynes, and her company, Jolie Image Consulting.
Cantrell is facing questions about the money she paid her stylist Tanya Haynes (pictured).
Payments to Haynes have generally increased over time, reaching $6,000 a month in 2021, records obtained by 4WWL show.
Two stores where Haynes shopped — Ballin’s Boutique, where she often bought clothes for the mayor, and BC Kitchen and Bath, where Haynes recently ordered a $17,000 new kitchen — have been subpoenaed.