ALL RIGHT, DEVIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH. A MAN LINKED TO THE FEDERAL PROBE INTO NEW ORLEANS MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL IS NOW FACING CHARGES HIMSELF. RANDI FARRELL IS FACING CHARGES INCLUDING FORGERY AND CONSPIRACY. AND THIS IS HAPPENING IN JEFFERSON PARISH. THAT’S RIGHT. AND AS THE CASE LOOMS INVOLVING THE MAYOR, WDSU INVESTIGATOR TRAVERS MACKEL DIGS DEEPER INTO THE LATEST CHARGES INVOLVING THIS KEY PLAYER IN THE CASE. CHARGES FILED INSIDE THIS COURTHOUSE IN JEFFERSON PARISH. OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS DONE VERY QUIETLY, AND THEY PAINT A PICTURE OF A MULTI-PARISH PROBE, RANDI FARRELL, CHARGED BY THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN JP WITH THREE CRIMES. FANDEL WAS CHARGED THREE MONTHS AGO IN JEFFERSON PARISH, RIGHT AS THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS WAS ABOUT TO RUN OUT. FOUR YEARS TO THE DAY, FARRELL WAS ARRESTED AND ACCUSED. WE KNOW NOW THAT JEFFERSON PARISH HAS DOCUMENTED CRIMINAL WRONGDOING. FARRELL IS AN INDEPENDENT INSPECTOR WHO HAS WORKED IN NEW ORLEANS AND JEFFERSON PARISH FOR YEARS. HIS JOB IS TO CHECK OUT PROPERTIES AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING MEETS CODE AND REGULATION. THE CHARGES FARRELL IS NOW FACING IN JP INVOLVE WORK AT A HOME, ACCORDING TO SOURCES IN 2021, FEDERAL RECORDS SHOW HE PLEADED GUILTY TO TAX FRAUD, ADMITTING TO UNDER-REPORTING INCOME. BUT ACCORDING TO SOURCES, HE’S ALSO INVOLVED IN THE FEDERAL PROBE INTO NEW ORLEANS MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL. THE FBI AND U.S. ATTORNEY LOOKING INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CANTRELL AND FARRELL, ACCORDING TO SOURCES. AND IF THE MAYOR POSSIBLY BENEFITED IN ANY WAY BY HELPING FARRELL DO WORK FOR THE CITY MAYOR, DO YOU THINK THE FEDS ARE GOING TO CHARGE YOU IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS? THE MAYOR HAS HAD LITTLE TO SAY ABOUT THE ONGOING FEDERAL INVESTIGATION, DODGING QUESTIONS AND DECLINING COMMENTS FOR WEEKS. WE CAN’T COMMENT ON ANYTHING. EVEN AFTER HER FORMER BODYGUARD RECENTLY RETIRED NOPD OFFICER JEFFREY VACHERIE, WAS INDICTED IN JULY ACCUSED OF FALSIFYING HIS TIME CARD AND FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING TO THE FEDS ABOUT A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MAYOR. SHE HAS DECLINED TO SPEAK ON THE ISSUE. WE’RE ALL BRINGING INFORMATION TO THE TABLE TO TRY TO BUILD A PICTURE, TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE FRAUD HAPPENED, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO FARRELL, OTHERS ARE TALKING WHAT THE PUBLIC FAILS TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT EVERYBODY COMES AT THIS WITH THEIR OWN INTERESTS. SO THE FBI WANT TO GET THE GUY AND PROSECUTE THEM. THE INSPECTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE WANTS TO GET THE PERSON TO STOP IT FROM HAPPENING IN JEFFERSON PARISH. WE’RE OUT HERE TO PREVENT THE HARM. KIM CHATELAIN IS THE INSPECTOR GENERAL IN JEFFERSON PARISH. SHE SAYS REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE FEDERAL PROBE IN NEW ORLEANS AND THE MAYOR, THE DA AND JEFFERSON PARISH ACTED PROPERLY BY CHARGING FARRELL. IT’S VERY GOOD THAT THE DA TAKES CONTRACTOR FRAUD SERIOUSLY. BUILDING PERMITS ARE OUT THERE TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC AND MAKE SURE THAT HOUSES AND CONSTRUCTION ARE BUILT TO CODE, FARRELL’S LAWYER, RICK SIMMONS, TELLS US THAT HE FEELS IN NO WAY SHOULD HIS CLIENT HAVE BEEN CHARGED WITH ANY CRIMINAL ACTS IN JEFFERSON PARISH, AND HE FILED ON THE RECORD IN JEFFERSON PARISH A RESPONSE ASKING FOR MORE INFORMATION, TELLING US, QUOTE, MR. FARRELL WAS ASKED TO PERFORM AN INSPECTION. MR. FARRELL HAD NO FINANCIAL INTEREST IN THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT, AND HIS USUAL FEE OF A COUPLE OF HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR THE INSPECTION HAS NEVER BEEN PAID BY THE CONTRACTOR OR THE HOMEOWNER. NOW, AS FOR MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL IN NEW ORLEANS, SHE HAS NOT BEEN CHARGED WITH ANY CRIMES, ONLY IMPLICATED AN INDICTMENT ACCUSING VAAPI OF SEVERAL CRIMES. JEFFREY, HIS LAWYERS CLAIM ONCE AGAIN AS WE HAVE REPORTED, THAT HE IS NOT GUILTY AND THEY WILL PROVE IT. REPORTING IN NEW ORLEANS.