(StraightNews.org) – New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is under investigation for an alleged affair with a married cop who accompanied her on a recent trip to Dubai, costing the taxpayer $14,000. The FBI is examining a relationship between the Mayor and NOPD officer Jeffrey Vappie amid suspicions that they have been spending time together at a city-owned apartment, reportedly causing the end of the police officer’s marriage.
Cantrell recently took a $24,000 trip to Dubai, with Louisiana taxpayers footing a chunk of the bill and funding Vappie’s flight and hotel costs. Rumors of an affair were published by local media last year, prompting the officer’s wife to file for divorce. He reportedly admitted his infidelity. Both parties have denied any contact at the publicly-owned apartment, however, despite CCTV images showing them entering the building together several times.
The Mayor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said that by the time her term in office ends, she’ll be “accused of sleeping with half of the city of New Orleans.”
LaToya Cantell has been mired in scandal since she was elected in 2018, and has born attacks from opponents that she dismisses as racism. New Orleans residents launched an effort to recall her in 2022 but could not gather enough signatures. Her spokesman, Gregory Joseph, used taxpayer funds to campaign on her behalf, increasing speculation that her office was frivolous with public cash.
Her travel habits have brought her a lot of criticism as she insists on traveling first class and has often taken several global trips in a single year. In 2023, she visited France first class at a cost of $29,000 and South Korea, which cost more than $30,000. Shooting down objections about traveling first class on the taxpayer’s dime, she said, “Anyone who wants to question how I protect myself just doesn’t understand the world Black women walk in.”
Last year, Cantrell also came under scrutiny for spending $230,000 on an image consultant.
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