Citing federal corruption charges, the federal government has barred New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and her former bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, from signing contracts involving federal dollars, a move that will have little impact on the flow of federal money to the city.
The “suspension notice,” announced by Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner on the social media platform X on Wednesday, comes after prosecutors on Aug. 15 accused the two of charging romantic getaways to taxpayers, then lying about their affair.
The notice, sent to Cantrell and Vappie, a former Housing Authority of New Orleans board member, says both are suspended from "participation in procurement and non-procurement transactions as a participant or principal with HUD and throughout the executive branch of the federal government."
"We cannot entrust taxpayer dollars to the New Orleans mayor and her 'bodyguard' who have been charged with indictment by a Grand Jury with wire fraud, among other federal crimes," Turner wrote. "Corrupt Cantrell can’t abuse American taxpayer dollars any longer."
New Orleans relies heavily on federal dollars: Funding from Washington totaled more than $400 million this year, according to the city's 2025 budget — a fifth of the city's total revenue. And the Housing Authority of New Orleans' $260 million budget relies primarily on federal dollars.
LaToya Cantrell, ex-bodyguard barred from federal contracts | Local Politics | nola.com https://share.google/I90TWbOfhJMUdpAII