Businessman with ties to Mayor Cantrell indicted

A federal grand jury has indicted Randy Farrell, owner of a local building inspection firm who has been under investigation for his ties to New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, according to WWL-TV.

WWL-TV reports the charges claim Farrell ran a scheme within the city's Safety & Permits department to falsify permits so he could do electrical work and then get paid to inspect his own work.

Farrell's company, IECI, does safety inspections for local government permitting offices, including New Orleans. That arrangement prohibits Farrell from working as an electrician in the city.

But the report says sources familiar with the indictment say the government claims Farrell used other electricians' names to obtain permits for electrical work, and then got paid by the city to inspect his own work.

Farrell comes into Cantrell's orbit by way of a former deputy director at the Department of Safety & Permits, Jennifer Cecil. Cantrell fired Cecil in 2019, reportedly after Cecil raised concerns about Farrell's allegedly falsified permits.

WWL-TV reported Farrell supplied gifts to the mayor including Saints playoff tickets, trips to restaurants, and a new phone.