New Orleans is no stranger to political scandal, but the federal case against Mayor LaToya Cantrell isn’t a classic bribes-and-kickbacks story. It’s a story about a relationship, power, and the alleged misuse of public resources.

Times-Picayune columnist Stephanie Grace traces Cantrell’s rise from post-Katrina neighborhood leader to the first woman elected mayor, and what went wrong in her second term.

Prosecutors say Cantrell and NOPD officer Jeffrey Vappie, her security guard, used city funds and access to a city-owned apartment overlooking Jackson Square and official travel to spend time together, then tried to cover it up. Cantrell has denied wrongdoing.

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