New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell speaks to Gov. Jeff Landry at a news conference Sept. 13, 2024, on the recovery from Hurricane Francine at Signature Aviation in Kenner. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)
Storm clouds appear to be gathering over New Orleans City Hall as federal prosecutors systematically bring indictments in public corruption cases.
The most recent indictment was issued Sept. 27, when city contractor Randy Farrell was accused of receiving bribes from electricians to obtain fraudulent building permits, and “conspired with others to offer bribes to public officials to thwart the investigation into his scheme.” While the persons allegedly offered bribes are listed in the indictment as “public official 1” and “public official 2,” multiple sources have confirmed that those designations refer to Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montaño, respectively.
A previous federal indictment was issued July 19, accusing Jeffrey Vappie, a former member of the mayor’s police security detail, of defrauding the taxpayers by submitting false timecards to the NOPD for work he never did. The indictment charges that, instead of conducting police work during those hours, he was “carrying on a personal and romantic relationship with public official 1.”
As in the later indictment, public official 1 has been confirmed as referring to the mayor. Vappie is also charged with making false statements to the FBI in an attempt to conceal his romantic relationship with the mayor.
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Cantrell has not been indicted in either case. However, she is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator, and the major activities in both cases appear to revolve around her and her office. The mayor has retained the services of Eddie Castaing, a high-profile criminal defense attorney with a specialty in defending public corruption cases. Most people would not pay the high fees of an expensive defense attorney unless they believed they had potential exposure to criminal charges.
Regardless of how the cases are resolved, or whether there are further indictments, the city is suffering the negative effects of these allegations. In addition to the obvious danger to the public of fraudulently certifying buildings as safe when they never actually received inspections, the city is suffering other ill effects as well. The allegations create uncertainty in City Hall, cause fatigue among the residents, and harm the image of the city and its ability to attract business.
City employees have expressed concern to me that it is difficult to conduct the day-to-day business of the taxpayers with the constant threat of more indictments that could shake up leadership in local government.
Residents have recently complained to me that they are feeling “investigation fatigue,” and wondering why the investigations are dragging on for so long when the basic facts have been known for at least two years now. They point out that the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, was indicted last week at the conclusion of an investigation that, based on public records, appears to have been going on only half as long as the New Orleans investigation. Also, the New York case is much more complex, involving more defendants and more money. And yet it was wrapped up in about a year.
To be clear, most New Orleans residents want honest government and want any sort of public corruption to be quickly rooted out and removed. Furthermore, the fault for investigation fatigue and any hits to the public image of the city belongs solely to the persons choosing to break the law and engage in public corruption, and never the investigators who are rooting it out.
The U.S. Attorney must follow evidence of criminal activity wherever it leads, without fear or favor, without any political considerations, and without regard to opinions of external parties. However, if anyone was measuring public opinion, most citizens would prefer for these cases to be resolved with all deliberate speed, even if that means more indictments in the short term.
Residents and businesses want a final resolution at this point, so that they can return to the business of attracting people to the most interesting city in the world. Until then, it is highly probable that more negative news is coming, so New Orleanians should brace for the coming storm.
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This article first appeared on Verite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.