THIS IS BREAKING NEWS ON WDSU. ALL RIGHT. WE’RE GOING TO GET BACK TO THAT BREAKING NEWS. WE TOLD YOU ABOUT A FEW MINUTES AGO DURING OUR NEW NEWSCAST. OFFICER JEFFREY VACHERIE, FORMER NYPD OFFICER JEFFREY VAAPI INDICTED ON FEDERAL CHARGES. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FEDERAL CHARGES ARE AT THIS TIME. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 20 MINUTES AGO AT THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE. WE DO HAVE NUMEROUS CREWS THERE. LET’S GET THE CASSIE SCHERM. CASSIE, YOU WERE INSIDE THE COURTROOM WHEN THE INDICTMENT CAME DOWN. WHAT ARE YOU LEARNING ABOUT THESE CHARGES? WELL, TRAVERS, THERE WAS A 22 PERSON GRAND JURY THAT CAME DOWN AND INDICTED OFFICER JEFFREY VAPPIE ON CHARGES THAT ARE STILL UNKNOWN. THERE’S A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON WHAT EXACTLY WHAT ARE THOSE CHARGES, BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT READ OUT LOUD. SO WE’RE CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A CREW INSIDE WAITING FOR THOSE DOCUMENTS TO DROP. AS SOON AS WE GET THOSE, WE’RE GOING TO BE GIVING YOU GUYS MORE INFORMATION. BUT AS SOON AS WE LEARN MORE INFORMATION. BUT I ACTUALLY HAVE A LEGAL EXPERT HERE. DO YOU MIND IF YOU COME WALK THIS WAY? I’M GOING TO CONTINUE TO KEEP ON TALKING, GUYS. SO I’M ONE OF THE THINGS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WONDERING IS IT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE TIME OF HIM SERVING FOR THE MAYOR ON AND OFF THE CLOCK, AND WE WANT TO BRING YOU A LITTLE BIT, BUT HEY, HOW ARE YOU DOING? CASSIE SCHERM MATT CHESTER, HOW ARE YOU? NICE TO MEET YOU. WELL, THIS IS ALL JUST BREAKING. WE’RE GETTING NEW INFORMATION HERE. FIRST OFF, WE DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE CHARGES ARE. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT’S NORMALLY DONE? YEAH. I MEAN, SO, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE GRAND JURY JUST RETURNED THE INDICTMENT. YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE LAST HOUR OR TWO. UM, IT TAKES SOME TIME FOR THE CLERK’S OFFICE TO PROCESS THE INDICTMENT FOR IT TO GET PUBLICLY POSTED. SO IT’S NOT ALWAYS IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE. THE PROSECUTORS OBVIOUSLY KNOW WHAT IT IS. THE THE GRAND JURY KNOWS WHAT WHAT THE CHARGES ARE. BUT USUALLY THERE’S AN HOUR OR 2 OR 3 LAG TIME BEFORE IT’S POSTED TO THE PUBLIC. OKAY. AND SO THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WE WILL EVENTUALLY LEARN. THEN FOR ANYTHING WHEN IT REGARDS A FORMER NOPD OFFICER, I MEAN, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT’S VERY SERIOUS TO LOOK INTO? SURE. OF COURSE. I MEAN, AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE REPORTING IS. AND AGAIN, WE’RE SPECULATING. DON’T KNOW WHAT THE CHARGES ARE, BUT THE REPORTING IS THAT THIS IS A PAYROLL FRAUD INVESTIGATION. RIGHT. AND THE ALLEGATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE REPORTING ANYWAY ARE THAT OFFICER VAPPIE WAS BEING PAID BY THE CITY WHILE HE WAS SUPPOSEDLY PROTECTING THE MAYOR WHEN IN REALITY, MAYBE HE WASN’T. UM, SO THAT’S THAT’S A PUBLIC CORRUPTION ALLEGATION. THAT’S A PUBLIC PAYROLL FRAUD ALLEGATION. OBVIOUSLY SERIOUS. ANY TIME YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT ALLEGED CRIMINALITY WITH WITH PUBLIC DOLLARS. AND SO WHAT COMES NEXT AFTER THIS? YOU KNOW, WE’VE HEARD THAT HE’S BEEN SUMMONED. SURE. YEAH. SO WHAT TYPICALLY HAPPENS IS WHEN A GRAND JURY RETURNS AN INDICTMENT, UM, THERE’S TWO WAYS TO NOTIFY A DEFENDANT. YOU CAN ESSENTIALLY ISSUE THEM A SUMMONS OR ISSUE THEM. WHAT WE CALL A NOTICE. UM, OR YOU CAN HAVE THEM ARRESTED 99 TIMES OUT OF 100. AND A WHITE COLLAR CASE SUCH AS THIS, YOU’RE GOING TO ISSUE THEM A SUMMONS. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS THE DEFENDANT COMES TO HIS FIRST APPEARANCE. HE’LL HAVE WHAT’S CALLED AN INITIAL APPEARANCE AND AN ARRAIGNMENT BEFORE THE COURT, WHERE THE COURT WILL READ THE CHARGES TO THE OFFICER. GENERALLY, THAT TAKES PLACE IN THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, HE WILL ENTER AN INITIAL PLEA, AND THEN HE’LL BE TREATED LIKE ANY OTHER DEFENDANT IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. THIS CASE WILL BE ASSIGNED TO A JUDGE. IT WILL PROCEED, AND HE WILL HAVE HIS OPPORTUNITY TO, YOU KNOW, DEFEND HIMSELF IN COURT IF HE CHOOSES. UM, HE’LL ALSO, I’M SURE, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLEAD GUILTY IF THAT’S SOMETHING HE CHOOSES AS WELL. YOU KNOW, AND DURING THIS PROCESS, I’VE LEARNED A LOT WHEN IT JUST COMES TO GRAND JURIES. I DIDN’T EVEN REALIZE THE STEPS IT TAKES PRIOR TO EVEN GET TO AN INDICTMENT. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT? YEAH. SO, UM, THIS IS KIND OF A LITTLE BIT OF THE STUFF THAT’S OUTSIDE THE PUBLIC SPHERE, RIGHT. UM, GRAND JURY INVESTIGATIONS, PARTICULARLY IN WHITE COLLAR CASES, PARTICULARLY IN PUBLIC CORRUPTION CASES, TAKE MONTHS, SOMETIMES YEARS TO PUT TOGETHER. UM, IT ESSENTIALLY IS SOME COMBINATION OF THE US ATTORNEY’S OFFICE OFFICER, SOME ARM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WORKING WITH AN INVESTIGATIVE AGENCY LIKE THE FBI OR THE IRS. UM, ISSUING SUBPOENAS, INTERVIEWING WITNESSES, SOMETIMES PUTTING WITNESSES BEFORE THE GRAND JURY TO TEST THEIR TESTIMONY. RIGHT. UM, GATHERING THOSE RECORDS, ANALYZING THOSE RECORDS, FOLLOWING A MONEY TRAIL, IF THAT’S WHAT THE CASE INVOLVES. AND SO TO PUT THAT TOGETHER TAKES MONTHS. AND YEARS. UM, AND ALL OF THAT IS DONE IN SECRET. ALL OF THAT IS DONE AS PART OF THE GRAND JURY PROCESS. AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT’S WHAT I’M SURE THE US ATTORNEY’S OFFICE HAS BEEN DOING FOR MONTHS PRIOR TO TODAY. AND THEN FOR THE GRAND JURY ITSELF, 22 MEMBERS ON THIS GRAND JURY. WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE? DO THEY ALL HAVE TO AGREE ON THIS INDICTMENT? SO GRAND JURIES ARE IN FEDERAL COURT, ARE MADE UP OF ANYWHERE FROM 16 TO 23 MEMBERS OF ORLEANS PARISH AND THE SURROUNDING PARISHES. THE FEDERAL DISTRICT HERE, THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA, UM, DEPENDING ON THE NUMBER THAT’S IN THERE, ON THE DAY THE INDICTMENT IS PRESENTED, YOU NEED ONLY 12 TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE INDICTMENT, RETURNING WHAT WE CALL A TRUE BILL. SO IF YOU KNOW, WE DON’T KNOW HOW MANY WERE THERE TODAY, WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE VOTE WAS. ALL OF THAT IS KEPT IN SECRET, BUT YOU WOULD NEED 12 TO HAVE THE GRAND JURY VOTE, WHAT’S CALLED A TRUE BILL, AND RETURN THE INDICTMENT. AND IN CASES LIKE THIS OR JUST IN GENERAL, HAVE YOU SEEN OTHER INDICTMENTS FOLLOW SOMETHING LIKE THIS BECAUSE OF THINGS THEY LEARNED THROUGH THIS PROCESS? SURE. OF COURSE. AND YOU KNOW, IT DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK THIS WAY, BUT BUT THERE IS A TYPICAL KIND OF BOTTOM UP APPROACH. UM, AND I CAN TELL YOU FROM EXPERIENCE WITH THE RAY NAGIN PROSECUTION, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE MULTIPLE STAGES OF THAT PROSECUTION. IF YOU REMEMBER GREG MEFFERT WAS INITIALLY CHARGED ALONG WITH THE CITY CONTRACTOR THAT THEN BUILT FURTHER TOWARDS MAYOR NAGIN. SO WE DON’T KNOW IF THAT’S THE CASE HERE. OBVIOUSLY, WE’LL LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE WHEN WE GET THE CHARGES. UM, BUT BUT IT WOULDN’T BE UNCOMMON FOR THAT TO BE THE NEXT STEP. IT’S ALSO POSSIBLE THE TRAIL COULD END WITH WITH OFFICER BABY. WE JUST WE JUST DON’T KNOW YET. YEAH. I MEAN, THERE’S JUST A LOT OF UNKNOWNS WHEN IT COMES TO CASES LIKE THIS. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS IS KIND OF GOING FROM THIS WE HAVE A COUPLE HOURS PROBABLY BEFORE WE’LL GET NEW DOCUMENTS. IT’S BASICALLY A WAITING GAME AT THIS POINT. THAT’S RIGHT. I MEAN, ONCE WE GET THE CHARGES WE’LL KNOW MORE. WE’LL KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT HE SPECIFICALLY CHARGED WITH, WHAT SORT OF PENALTIES HE FACES. UM, WHAT THE ALLEGATIONS ARE OR WHETHER THEY POTENTIALLY IMPLICATE ANYBODY ELSE. ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE THINGS I’M SURE HIS LAWYER IS GOING TO BE LOOKING AT, AND THINGS THAT WE’LL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT ONCE THE CHARGES ARE MADE, MADE PUBLIC. PERFECT. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. I APPRECIATE IT. AND GUYS, WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS VERY CLOSELY. LIKE I SAID AGAIN WE HAVE A CREW INSIDE THOSE DOORS RIGHT NOW TO TALK MORE ON WHAT COULD BE LIKE FOR THE CASES AND THE CHARGES. THAT COULD BE PENDING. SO WE’RE STILL WAITING TO HEAR MORE INFORMATION ON THAT. AND SOON AS WE GET MORE INFORMATION, WE’LL GIVE YOU GUYS THE LATEST HERE ON AIR AND ONLINE AT WDSU.COM. REPORTING HERE AT FEDERAL COURT, THOUGH, GUYS, I’M CASSIE SCHERM BACK TO YOU. YEAH. CASSIE, AS WE STAY IN LIVE COVERAGE HERE, IF YOU CAN GRAB MATT CHESTER AGAIN BECAUSE HE HAS SOME REALLY GOOD INSIGHT HERE. HE IS ONE OF TWO LAWYERS WHO ACTUALLY PROSECUTED THE RAY NAGIN CASE, A FORMER MAYOR, THE ONLY MAYOR EVER CHARGED WITH CRIMES IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS. OBVIOUSLY, IT’S BEEN REPORTED THAT JEFFREY VAPPIE WAS THE MAYOR’S PRIVATE SECURITY OR WAS THE SECURITY GUARD FOR MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL. IS THERE ANY CHANCE POSSIBLY THAT THAT BE AND THE CHARGES THAT HE FACES DEAL WITH ANYTHING AT CITY HALL? THAT’S A QUESTION THAT I’M SURE WE’LL ASK MATT CHESTER COMING UP HERE. IT SEEMS LIKE WHEN YOU USE THAT LINE, THE BOTTOM UP APPROACH, YOU WOULD THINK, IS THIS JUST DEALING WITH JEFFREY VAPPIE OR DOES THIS CHARGE OR THESE CHARGES HAVE MORE TO DO WITH ANYTHING GOING ON AT CITY HALL? THAT’S A QUESTION THAT I’M SURE HE’LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER MOMENTARILY HERE. BUT ONCE AGAIN, OFFICER JEFFREY VAPPIE, THE LONGTIME. NOPD OFFICER WHO JOINED THE DEPARTMENT IN 1997, HE RETIRED ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO. HE HAS BEEN UNDER INVESTIGATION BOTH INTERNALLY AND WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW, AS HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED, THESE INVESTIGATIONS CENTER ON HIS PAYROLL AND THE TIME THAT HE SPENT AT THE PONTALBA WHILE PROTECTING THE MAYOR AND THE TRAVEL THAT HE MADE WITH THE MAYOR, WHO HAS TRAVELED EXTENSIVELY SINCE SHE HAS BEEN IN OFFICE. UM, WE DON’T KNOW IF THESE CHARGES DEAL WITH THAT. WE SUSPECT THAT THEY DO. BUT CASSIE, I KNOW MATT CHESTER IS BACK WITH YOU NOW, RIGHT? YES. LET ME GO AHEAD AND GRAB MR. CHESTER. CAN I HAVE YOU COME OVER HERE? ONE MORE QUESTION, TRAVERS. WANTING TO ASK, YOU KNOW, COULD THIS BE YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THE BOTTOM UP APPROACH. DO YOU THINK THAT THIS COULD BE RELATED TO ANYTHING WITH OUR MAYOR? I MEAN, IT COULD BE, UM, CERTAINLY, AGAIN. AND WE’RE SPECULATING, RIGHT? WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THE CHARGES ARE, BUT LET’S ASSUME THAT THERE’S SOME SORT OF PAYROLL FRAUD ALLEGATION. UM, THE NEXT QUESTION, ANY FEDERAL PROSECUTORS ARE GOING TO HAVE, WHO ELSE KNEW ABOUT THIS? RIGHT. AND SO IF THERE’S SOME TIE IN HERE TO THE MAYOR AND THERE MAY NOT BE, BUT IF THERE IS, THAT WOULD BE THE SORT OF THING THAT PROSECUTORS WOULD BE ASKING AND SEEING IF THERE’S ANY CONTEMPORANEOUS EVIDENCE SUGGESTING SOMEBODY ELSE KNEW THE MAYOR, MAYBE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THAT’S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THEY’RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT. WHAT KIND OF EVIDENCE WOULD YOU NEED TO HAVE TO BRING CHARGES LIKE THIS FORWARD AS AGAINST THE MAYOR? SO I MEAN, YOU WOULD BE LOOKING AT WHAT WERE THE MAYOR’S EMAILS AT THE TIME? WHAT WERE THE MAYOR’S TEXT MESSAGES AT THE TIME? WHO WAS THE MAYOR TALKING TO AT THE TIME? WERE THERE ANY DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS BEING POTENTIALLY BROUGHT AGAINST THE OFFICER, AND DID THE MAYOR INTERVENE IN ANY POSSIBLE WAY WHICH MIGHT SUGGEST SHE WAS TRYING TO PROTECT HIM? AGAIN, WE’RE SPECULATING A LITTLE BIT. UM, BUT THOSE ARE THE SORT OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BE ASKED, I’M SURE. AND LOOKED AT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WHEN IT COMES TO JUST PAYROLL FRAUD FOR THE OFFER OFFICER HIMSELF, SAYING THAT IF IT IS A CHARGE OF THE PAYROLL FRAUD, WHAT TYPE OF THINGS ARE NEEDED TO EVEN PUT A CHARGE LIKE THAT TOGETHER? SO, I MEAN, IT DEPENDS ON THE CRIME THAT’S CHARGED THE SPECIFIC STATUTE. UM, BUT GENERALLY SPEAKING, YOU HAVE TO IT HAS TO BE PUBLIC FUNDS. IT HAS TO BE FROM A PUBLIC ENTITY THAT RECEIVES, I BELIEVE IT’S $10,000 A YEAR OR MORE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS DOES. AND THE VALUE OF THE ALLEGED FRAUD HAS TO BE IN EXCESS OF $5,000. SO THOSE ARE THE SORT OF ELEMENTS THAT THEY WOULD BE BE LOOKING AT. AND OF COURSE, JUST ABOUT IN ANY CRIMINAL CASE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE KIND OF INTENTIONAL OR KNOWING CONDUCT, RIGHT? IT CAN’T JUST BE, UM, I WAS NEGLIGENT. I DIDN’T KNOW I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO THIS. UM, YOU KNOW, IF THE ALLEGATION IS THAT YOU DID IT AND YOU KNEW YOU DID IT, THEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT CRIMINALITY. SO THOSE ARE THE ELEMENTS. GENERALLY THEY’D BE LOOKING TO POTENTIALLY PROVE AT TRIAL. AND THEN ONE OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS, SOME OF OUR ANCHORS HAVE BEEN HAVING AND JUST ASKED IN MY EAR, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CHARGES, THE CHARGES THEMSELVES WERE NOT READ OUT LOUD. WHY WOULD THAT BE WHEN SOME CASES CHARGES ARE READ OUT LOUD? THE CHARGES WERE NOT READ OUT LOUD. MEANING WHEN THE GRAND JURY INDICTMENT WAS RETURNED, THAT’S ACTUALLY NOT THAT, UH, COMMON FOR THEM NOT TO BE READ OUT LOUD. I MEAN, THE DEFENDANT IS NOT PRESENT. THE ONLY THING THAT’S THAT’S REALLY NEEDED WHEN THE INDICTMENT IS RETURNED IS EITHER THE FOUR PER PERSON OF THE GRAND JURY OR THE DEPUTY FOUR PERSON SHOWS UP. IT’S PRESENTED TO A MAGISTRATE JUDGE AND THE MAGISTRATE JUDGE THEN ASKS THE PROSECUTOR, OKAY, I HAVE AN INDICTMENT PENDING BEFORE ME. UNITED STATES VERSUS, YOU KNOW, INSERT DEFENDANT’S NAME. HOW DO YOU WANT TO NOTIFY THE DEFENDANT? GOVERNMENT? AND USUALLY, AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, IT WOULD BE A SUMMONS OR A NOTICE, BUT THAT IS NOT THE PROCEEDING WHERE THE CHARGES WOULD BE READ OUT LOUD. THE CHARGES WOULD BE READ OUT LOUD IN THE FIRST PROCEEDING FOR THE DEFENDANT. SO THAT WOULD BE THE INITIAL APPEARANCE OR THE ARRAIGNMENT WHEN THE DEFENDANT WOULD ACTUALLY HEAR THE CHARGES THAT THE GRAND JURY IS LEVELED AGAINST HIM. AND IN THIS CASE WAS SEALED. WE WOULDN’T EVEN BE ALLOWED TO STAND IN THERE RIGHT. AND TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE SUMMONS. THAT’S CORRECT. IF IT WAS SEALED, THE COURTROOM WOULD HAVE BEEN SEALED AND NOBODY WOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO HEAR OTHER THAN THE JUDGE, THE GRAND JURORS AND AND THE PROSECUTOR, THE FACT THAT SOUNDS LIKE THERE WERE PEOPLE IN THE COURTROOM MEANS IT SHOULD BE AN UNSEALED INDICTMENT, WHICH MEANS, GUYS, WE ARE EXPECTING TO GET MORE INFORMATION IN THE MOMENTS TO COME, AS WE DO HAVE SHAY O’CONNOR INSIDE FEDERAL COURT RIGHT NOW WAITING FOR THOSE DOCUMENTS TO BE DROPPED. IT COULD BE FROM NOW, ANYTIME FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS OR EVEN LATER. BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW UP ON THE LATEST INFORMATION. I MEAN, TRAVERS, WE HAVE BEEN OUT HERE AT FEDERAL COURT FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS WAITING FOR THIS INDICTMENT TO COME IN AND EVERY THURSDAY, FRIDAY THAT IS WHERE THE GRAND JURY THEN COMES AND READS THOSE INDICTMENTS. AND SO WE’VE BEEN WAITING. IT’S BEEN SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF STUFF HAS BEEN CIRCULATING AROUND. BUT WE AGAIN, WE STILL DO NOT HAVE THE CHARGES JUST YET. YEAH, WE SHOULD GET THEM LATER TODAY. LIKE MATT CHESTER JUST SAID, WE SHOULD GET THEM. THEY DROP ON THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S WEBSITE. CASSIE. SO WE SHOULD SEE THEM. I THINK THAT WE DON’T WANT TO ASSUME ANYTHING HERE. AND UNTIL WE SEE THE ACTUAL CHARGES, WHAT WE KNOW NOW IS THAT JEFFREY VAPPIE DOES FACE FEDERA