Michele Fiore, a Nevada Republican politician and former Las Vegas city councilwoman, has been convicted of fraud after misappropriating funds intended for a memorial statue honoring a slain police officer. A jury found her guilty of six counts of federal wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud during a weeklong trial in U.S. District Court in Nevada.
Each wire fraud charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Currently suspended without pay from her role as a justice of the peace in Pahrump, Fiore is scheduled for sentencing on January 6 but will remain free until then. Her attorney, Michael Sanft, announced intentions to appeal the conviction.
During the trial, federal prosecutors revealed that Fiore raised over $70,000 for the statue dedicated to a Las Vegas police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2014. Instead of using the funds for their intended purpose, she spent the money on personal expenses, including plastic surgery, rent, and her daughter’s wedding. Federal prosecutor Dahoud Askar stated, “Michele Fiore used a tragedy to line her pockets.”
The investigation into Fiore began in 2021 when FBI agents subpoenaed records and conducted a search of her home in northwest Las Vegas related to her campaign spending. Sanft criticized the investigation, calling it “sloppy.”
Although Fiore does not hold a law degree, she was appointed as a judge in Nye County in 2022 after losing her campaign for state treasurer. She was elected in June to complete the unexpired term of a deceased judge. Fiore, 54, previously served in the Nevada Legislature from 2012 to 2016, gaining notoriety for posing with guns and her family in Christmas cards.