A Nevada politician was found guilty this week of using money for a statue to honor a fallen officer on personal expenses, including plastic surgery.
On Thursday, a jury convicted former Las Vegas city councilwoman and state lawmaker, Michele Fiore on six counts of federal wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to KLAS-TV in Las Vegas. The weeklong trial, which took place in U.S. District Court in Nevada, began last week.
Each of the charges could result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Fiore, currently suspended without pay from her role as a justice of the peace in Pahrump, Nevada, is scheduled for sentencing on January 6. Until then, she will remain free.
Fiore’s attorney, Michael Sanft, said his client was planning to appeal the conviction.
During the trial, federal prosecutors revealed that Fiore raised over $70,000, purportedly for a statue honoring a Las Vegas police officer killed in the line of duty in 2014. However, instead of using the funds for the memorial, she allegedly spent the money on personal expenses, including plastic surgery, rent, and her daughter’s wedding.
AP Photo/Ken Ritter, File/AP Photo/Ken Ritter, File
During the trial, federal prosecutor Dahoud Askar said, “Michele Fiore used a tragedy to line her pockets.”
In 2021, FBI agents subpoenaed records and conducted a search of Fiore’s northwest Las Vegas home as part of an investigation into her campaign finances. Fiore’s attorney, Sanft, criticized the probe during the trial, calling the FBI’s work “sloppy.”
Fiore, who lacks a law degree, was appointed as a judge in heavily conservative Nye County in 2022, shortly after losing her bid for Nevada state treasurer. She was later elected in June to finish the remaining term of a judge who had passed away. Pahrump, where she serves, is about an hour west of Las Vegas.
Fiore, 54, served in the Nevada Legislature from 2012 to 2016, gaining attention for posing with guns alongside her family in Christmas cards. She went on to serve as a Las Vegas city councilwoman from 2017 until 2022.
According to KLAS-TV, Fiore said: “We’re still in it. We’re still in the thick of things and my attorney is going to hopefully, you know, apprise you of a lot of situations that you’re unaware of.”
“You were aware yesterday that I wanted to say a few things to the judge and I wasn’t allowed to,” Fiore said.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
