New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell allegedly living in posh city-owned apartment, not paying rent

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Bayou Mama Bears founder Laura Cannizzaro Rodrigue joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss potential repercussions for Mayor LaToya Cantrell as the city faces a police officer shortage and crime surge.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who has been under fire for her jet-setting lifestyle as crime plagues the city, may have also been living rent-free in a pricey, city-owned apartment.

The Democrat, 50, has allegedly been using a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in the French Market Corporation’s Upper Pontalba Building in Jackson Square as a personal residence. The unit has a fair market value of nearly $3,000 a month.

The mayor’s comings-and-goings from the apartment were the subject of a two-month-long investigation by FOX8 New Orleans, which last week reported to have combed through more than 600 hours of surveillance footage.

The outlet found Cantrell at the apartment nearly every day over a 26-day period, often staying for hours at a time and sometimes staying overnight.

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New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has been under fire for spending $30,000 on first-class international flight upgrades over the summer.  (Fox News)

The office of the mayor defended her use of the apartment in a statement to local news outlets, saying that Cantrell has done nothing wrong.

"The mayor's usage of the city-owned apartment at the Pontalba is consistent with the usage of past mayors," Cantrell spokesman Gregory Joseph said. 

"In addition, the most recent franchise agreement contains no rules governing how that unit should be used," Joseph continued. "Lastly, according to the French Market Corporation, who are the owners of the building, this and past mayors are under no obligation to pay for using the apartment."

Meanwhile, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that it obtained emails that show Cantrell has been directly involved in maintenance requests for the unit dating back to January. The requests reportedly included fixing the shower and internet service.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is facing a recall campaign as surging crime impacts the city.  (Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Essence)

Cantrell also added privacy screens to the balcony and received packages at the address, FOX8 reported.

The Metropolitan Crime Commission wrote a letter to the city council on Thursday asking its members to investigate whether Cantrell is living in the unit and whether she is "complying with city policy and/or state law by inhabiting this city-owned apartment without paying rent or being taxed for the fair market value use of this unit."  

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Cantrell was already under scrutiny for racking up $30,000 in first-class international travel expenses over the summer. 

Last month, she defended the cost of her travel, stating that "my travel accommodations are a matter of safety, not of luxury. … I need to be safe as I do business on behalf of the city of New Orleans."