The walls continue to close in around New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell. First the feds indicted her boyfriend, now they obtained an indictment against a crony. WDSU reported:
A former New Orleans inspector linked to Mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted Friday. Randy Farrell is facing charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services, fraud, wire fraud, and honest services fraud. According to the indictment, Farrell is accused of bribing Public Official 1, believed to be Mayor LaToya Cantrell, in exchange for a city employee being fired after that employee uncovered an alleged kickback scheme through the Department of Safety and Permits. According to the indictment, Farrell's company, IECi, conducted a majority of the city's third-party inspections. Farrell is accused of using unlicensed electricians to perform the work and then having IECI inspect and approve the work at the properties under the ruse that licensed electricians had done the work. When a Department of Safety and Permits employee uncovered the scheme, Farrell and a businessman, which sources tell WDSU is Fouad Zeton, are accused of asking Mayor Cantrell to fire the employee. Text messages between Farrell and Zeton show that a steak dinner was set up between them and the mayor to discuss getting the employee fired. The dinner cost over $800, and Farrell paid for it, according to the indictment. The indictment says that Farrell obtained New Orleans Saints and National Championship football tickets for Public Official 1, believed to be Cantrell, and her family in exchange for getting rid of the employee who is listed in the federal indictment as Employee 1. Sources tell WDSU that Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montano is implicated as Public Official 2 in connection with the tickets allegedly received for the bribe. According to our sources, Montano on Dec. 6, 2019, met with Zeton and a photo was taken with them together. That same day, Farrell bought four tickets to the Saints game, which Zeton then allegedly gave to Montano to use with his family at the game.... On Aug. 22, 2019, Farrell received a text from Zeton showing that the employee was no longer employed. Farrell is accused of replying, "THE ***** IS GONE!!!!!" Zeton is then accused of texting Cantrell, saying, "You are a person of your word, thank you so much for handling safety and permits problem." Rest of article.
It is probably only a matter of time before the feds get an indictment against Mayor Cantrell. The feds sure have been busy. Eric Adams, Latoya Cantrell..... is there anyone else who should be on the list?
19 comments:
Nothing will happen to her. The fired employee will get a nice settlement. That's why this shit never ends.
A steak and football tickets in exchange for firing a good city employee who uncovered a corrupt contractor.
Somewhere in there should be aggravating circumstances at the sentencing hearing. This was not only bribery, but protection of the corrupt, and perpetuation of the public corruption.
Every knee will bow - The Bible
They don't call her "The Destroya" for nothin'
This is how Dem cities roll. Right?
Oh yes….
Lexington and, not soon enough, HCSO.
Oh, and the states dumping voters off rolls less than 90 days before an election - I hate it when idiots in power simply break the laws they don’t like.
We need to make parts of America better, because so many in power ignore the law.
LaToya today; Chalkline tomorrow.
Another Mayor caught in the trap.
Next??
In New Orleans La. this is lightweight stuff.
There may be more diabolical forces at work here. Maybe the indictments are so trump can’t do so later. Collateral lawfare
So Mayors antics are consensual, hetero, among gift giving friends who trade favors and love football. Very mild in a city full of murder, disease and sex trafficking perverts.
When comes to Louisiana politics this is no big deal. You want to hear about a hot mess in the Bible Belt check out the mayor of Pineville.
https://www.nola.com/news/politics/pinevilles-mayor-to-resign-after-relationship-with-employee/article_f99b00ee-7c4a-11ef-a308-17d051c66d45.html
@8:27 PM, ehhrrrm, no. Cantrell, Adams, Berry, Lagumbumpa, being Dem or blue has nothing to do with this.
After what she did to that City during Covid and after Covid with mandating proof of vaccines to enter restaurants and shops, I hope the wannabe tyrant gets a life sentence for whatever she is guilty of. Screw these evil, corrupt people. The sooner a free society rids themselves of these people the better.
NO politics is a cesspool-
Most of the corruption in NOLA or Jackson or elsewhere is not a direct result of the political parties of the corrupt, even if their claimed party affiliation got them into a position to engage in corruption. It is a result of avarice, hubris, greed, cupidity, egoism, etc. and those are purely personal failings.
In this particular part of the Cantrell situation (and several other parts), you've got a rainbow coalition of crooks, from white GOPers to Syrians and Pakistanis, many of whom have myriad other criminal issues from all sorts of alleged wrong-doing involving public and non-public money.
Did anyone investigate Motorola getting the state-wide $100 million communications contract & all the graft paid via dinner & bar tabs, golf junkets & football tickets with hotel rooms provided?
They need to hold conference's on Being a Successful Corrupt Mayor. Lumumba could lead the meetings.
I wonder if additional charges get added by private parties from the 2019 Hard Rock hotel collapse during construction, where NOLA permits department was called into question.
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