A top New Orleans official in Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration, Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Monta?o, is implicated in the indictment of a city contractor?on allegations that the contractor bribed the mayor with football tickets and other gifts, sources say.
Monta?o is accused of no wrongdoing and has been charged with no crimes in connection to the case. The indictment handed up Friday charges Randy Farrell, a former third-party inspector whose firm has long held lucrative city contracts, of gifting Cantrell football tickets, an iPhone and meals in exchange for the firing of a city official who was scrutinizing Farrell's firm.?
But?Monta?o, who is referenced multiple times in Farrell's 28-page indictment as "Public Official 2," is described as accepting tickets to football games from Farrell and a business associate in the course of Farrell's efforts to get Cantrell to fire that employee, Jennifer Cecil.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the case said "Public Official 2" refers to?Monta?o.
In a brief interview, Monta?o said he was "blindsided" and "flabbergasted" that his name was mentioned.?
He said he had never met Randy Farrell, had not been contacted by federal authorities and would not risk his reputation over tickets to a sporting event.
"That's not worth a second of my integrity," Monta?o said.
The indictment of Farrell details how, in November of 2019, Monta?o allegedly asked Fouad Zeton, a businessman described by federal prosecutors as facilitating Farrell's gifts to the mayor, for three tickets to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game slated for the following January.
"Consider it done," Zeton replied, according to the indictment.
In December, the indictment says, Farrell paid $1,160 for four tickets to a Saints game that month. Zeton gave three of the tickets to Monta?o and then attended the game with?Monta?o and two members of his family, the indictment says.
Later, Farrell allegedly paid about $3,600 for three tickets to the College Football National Championship game, the indictment says. Zeton then sent the tickets to?Monta?o, the feds say.?
The allegations against Farrell shed new light on the scope of a federal investigation into Cantrell, now at least two years old.
Former prosecutors say it's unusual for the U.S. Attorney's Office to gratuitously mention high-profile public officials in criminal indictments unless they sincerely plan to pursue charges against those officials.
