Mayor Cantrell pressured interim chief Woodfork to drop the Vappie investigation, the indictment says

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Former New Orleans police officer Jeffrey Vappie was indicted by a federal grand jury on Friday (July 19) on charges of wire fraud and making false statements to the FBI.

The indictment includes allegations that former New Orleans Police Department acting chief Michelle Woodfork was pressured to drop an internal investigation into Vappie and that her refusal to do so may have cost her her job.

After a hearing before the Public Integrity Bureau regarding his timesheets, Vappie reportedly asked Woodfork to “set it right” during the review of the investigation’s findings.

The indictment states that Woodfork was informed by Mayor LaToya Cantrell that she would not be nominated for the permanent superintendent position. The indictment mentions a face-to-face meeting between Woodfork and Cantrell at which Vappie was present.

To everyone’s surprise, Cantrell ultimately nominated Anne Kirkpatrick, who was later confirmed by the City Council and sworn in as chief of the NOPD.

Vappie allegedly invited Woodfork to a daiquiri shop to discuss her demotion and “mitigate her disappointment.”

Woodfork, who was appointed by Cantrell in late 2022, retired on March 2, 2023.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Coman says Woodfork will likely be called as a witness.

“What was surprising was the reference to the interim superintendent and that ‘Public Official 1’ stepped in and held a meeting specifically about an individual with whom she was having an affair. Additionally, there was a PIB investigation that was an integral part of the decision as to whether or not the interim superintendent would remain in office,” Coman said.

OUTSIDE THE OFFICE

Do you see a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Click here to report it. Please include the headline.

Subscribe to Fox 8 Youtube channel.

All rights reserved.