The grand jury indictment of Mayor LaToya Cantrell and her bodyguard, New Orleans police officer Jeffrey Vappie, alleges that the pair engaged in a yearslong conspiracy to spend public money on travel during a romantic relationship and then tried to cover it all up.

The 18-count indictment includes charges of wire fraud, obstruction of justice and making false statements. Federal prosecutors laid out the allegations in a 44-page document filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans on Friday.

The allegations center on Cantrell's relationship with Vappie, who began serving as a bodyguard on the mayor's executive protection team in 2021.

Eleven of the charges deal with money paid to Vappie by the NOPD while working for Cantrell that prosecutors allege were based on fraudulent work hours

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