NEW ORLEANS — A former bodyguard for New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell will leave the NOPD after a long career in law enforcement. It comes after multiple investigations into his pay and relationship with the mayor, which a legal expert told WWL Louisiana will likely mean an end to his law enforcement career.
Wednesday, WWL Louisiana obtained an internal memo announcing Officer Jeffrey Vappie would resign from the NOPD. He was a member of Mayor Cantrell’s security detail until early 2023, when leaked audio revealed the department’s internal investigation bureau was looking into possible payroll fraud on Vappie’s part.
He was reinstated on the security team at the mayor’s request. Then, in April of 2024, a tipster submitted a photo to the Metropolitan Crime Commission showing Vappie and Mayor Cantrell eating together at a restaurant in the French Quarter. It raised questions, once again, about their relationship and how Vappie was logging his pay hours. The NOPD opened another investigation and once again removed Vappie from his post.
“His law enforcement career is essentially over at this point,” said attorney and legal analyst Craig Mordock. He explained that after Vappie’s resignation goes into effect Saturday, he will have “‘retired under investigation,’ which is a law enforcement status.”
That status could prevent him from being hired in law enforcement in the future. “I know for a fact that NOPD does not do it,” said Mordock, “and I know there are other jurisdictions that do not do that as well.”
Mordock added that it is too early to know why Vappie chose to resign and why he did so at this time. He believes it is possible the move is meant to distance Vappie from Mayor Cantrell, as he is still “technically a report of hers.”
The Mayor’s Office did not respond to a request for comment. His attorney, Harry Rosenberg, told WWL Louisiana Vappie’s legal team “cannot comment at this time.”