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New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell leaves office Monday, closing out eight tumultuous years with a legal storm gathering at her heels. Instead of being remembered for steering the city through COVID-19, Hurricane Ida, and a carousel of crises that demanded steady hands and stubborn resilience, her tenure now appears destined to be defined by a sweeping federal corruption case.
Cantrell’s trial is scheduled for October, a milestone that looms like a thunderhead over her post–City Hall life. She is the first sitting New Orleans mayor ever to be indicted. Ray Nagin faced federal charges only after leaving office; Cantrell carries the distinction into her final hours. Prosecutors accuse her of orchestrating a scheme to defraud the city of more than $70,000, allegedly tied to a personal relationship with her former bodyguard, ex–NOPD officer Jeffrey Vappie. If convicted, she could face between five and 20 years in prison for each of the 11 charges lodged against her…