Term Runs Until January Next Year
Salary Paid Out of Public Funds During Honeymoon Trips
A First in New Orleans’ 300-Year History
Latoya Cantrell, the first Black woman to become mayor of New Orleans, has been indicted on charges of spending $70,000 (approximately 97 million won) in public funds on activities such as a romantic getaway with her bodyguard. Cantrell reportedly cited security reasons for bringing her bodyguard on overseas trips and ensured he continued to receive his salary. It was revealed that she and her bodyguard used public funds to visit locations such as California wineries and Martha’s Vineyard, a luxury resort area in Massachusetts, on multiple occasions.
On August 16, the Washington Post (WP) reported that Cantrell faces 18 charges, including conspiracy and making false statements. The paper noted that this is the first time in New Orleans’ 300-year history that a sitting mayor has been referred to federal criminal court on fraud-related charges. Cantrell, originally from Compton, California, studied sociology at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans during the 1990s. She later served on the New Orleans City Council from 2012 to 2018.
In May 2018, she was inaugurated as the first Black woman mayor in New Orleans history. In the November 2021 election, she was re-elected with 64.7% of the vote, and her term is scheduled to run until January 2026. According to the prosecution’s indictment, Cantrell traveled with her bodyguard, Jeffrey Baffy, to places such as Scotland and Martha’s Vineyard using public funds. Prosecutors secured 15,000 WhatsApp messages exchanged between the two, with Baffy commenting about their 2021 trip to Scotland, saying, “That’s where it all started.”
Cantrell spent most of her time at her private residence, during which she arranged for Baffy to receive his salary by making it appear as if he was on duty. Since Baffy was at the residence well beyond his working hours, investigators even caught him watering plants. Prosecutors stated, “Cantrell arranged a total of 14 trips for Baffy,” and explained, “She claimed these were all for ‘alone time,’ but New Orleans taxpayers ended up paying over $70,000 for trips taken by Baffy, who was in a romantic relationship with her.”
According to prosecutors, WhatsApp conversations between Cantrell and Baffy included attempts to destroy evidence and to encourage an FBI agent to make false statements. The WP reported, “The two claimed their relationship was purely ‘professional,’ but the indictment described it as a ‘personally intimate relationship.’” As the controversy grew, Cantrell has ceased public appearances since July 15.
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