New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell criticized a reporter who investigated claims that she had an extramarital affair with her bodyguard, claiming it was based on sexism.
The embattled mayor was identified by news outlets in the divorce papers presented to Detective Jeffrey Vappie, 50, who worked as Cantrell’s bodyguard and claimed he married his wife Danielle with a “Mrs. LC’
Cantrell, also 50, denied the allegations to local outlet Nola.com, writing to a reporter that it was just one of the most recent “false allegations” against her.
“By the time I finished my term as mayor, I would have slept with half the city of New Orleans based on false allegations I sometimes encounter on a daily basis,” Cantrell told the local reporter. “This is just one of them.
“If I were a MAN you would NOT text me about those cops***.”
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell (pictured) told a local reporter who asked about allegations of an extramarital affair that the claims were based on sexism
Reports have surfaced that divorce papers filed with New Orleans Detective Jeffery Vappie (above) state that he admitted to having a sexual relationship with a Mrs. LC
Since 2022, Fox New Orleans has aired numerous videos of Mayor Latoya Cantrell and her bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie walking into a city apartment together
Lawyers for Vappie, who is currently suspended over irregularities in his pay, told NOLA that the detective never admitted to his wife that he was in a sexual relationship with the mayor.
Danielle claims her husband and Cantrell have been conducting the affair since May 2021, the same month he began working on the mayor’s security detail.
She also claims that the affair is ongoing and that Vappie told her about it.
Vappie’s lawyer did not deny that an affair ever took place, citing the ongoing investigation into her client.
Vappie comes under scrutiny over the hours he’s said to have clocked in. In January 2022, he was also accused of spending $916 on a single night in a Washington DC hotel room.
He eventually found himself involved in Cantrell’s own hotel controversy. 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.
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, where they were often spotted together.
Jeffrey Vappie’s wife, pictured here, Danielle, is a New Orleans school principal. She claims the affair started in May 2021 when Vappie came to Cantrell’s security detail
Mayor Latoya Cantrell with her husband Jason (left). She has denied the allegations
The allegation of the affair is just the latest anger to hit the mayor of New Orleans, who is currently struggling with a product recall amid numerous financial scandals.
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, at a possible cost of around $2,400.
City guidelines state: “Upgrades to hotel accommodations at City expense are not permitted unless the hotel is unable to provide the eligible accommodations at the time required to fulfill the purpose of travel.”
And a month earlier, Cantrell had to repay almost $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.
“My travel accommodations are a matter of safety, not luxury,” said Cantrell, who makes about $188,000 a year, at the time.
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. It is currently under review for similar upgrade fees for first class flights
Cantrell is facing questions about the money she paid her stylist Tanya Haynes (pictured).
Cantrell is also facing questions about payments of $175,000 made by her campaign to her “image consultant” Tanya Haynes and her company Jolie Image Consulting since 2017.
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.
Amid corruption allegations, Cantrell is facing a recall, but it is unlikely to go ahead as her opposition has just five weeks to collect more than 20,000 signatures to put the measure on a vote, Fox News reports.
Cantrell became the first woman to be elected Mayor of New Orleans in 2018. She is married to attorney Jason Cantrell and the couple have one daughter, RayAnn.
The status of their marriage remains unclear as Jason 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.