A Nevada politician has been convicted of misappropriating funds intended for a tribute to a fallen officer, diverting them for personal use, including cosmetic surgery.
Former Las Vegas city council member and state legislator Michele Fiore was found guilty on six counts of federal wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud by a jury on Thursday, as reported by KLAS-TV in Las Vegas. The verdict came after a week-long trial at the U.S. District Court in Nevada.
If sentenced to the maximum, Fiore could face up to 20 years in prison for each count. Currently suspended from her position as a justice of the peace in Pahrump, Nevada, she is set for sentencing on January 6, while being allowed to remain free until then.
Her lawyer, Michael Sanft, plans to appeal the decision.
Prosecutors presented evidence that Fiore solicited over $70,000 for a memorial statue for a Las Vegas police officer who died in 2014, but allegedly redirected those funds toward personal expenses such as plastic surgery, rent, and her daughter’s wedding.
U.S. attorney Dahoud Askar commented, “Michele Fiore used a tragedy to line her pockets.”
The FBI began investigating Fiore’s campaign finances in 2021, issuing subpoenas and searching her home in northwest Las Vegas. Sanft called the investigation “sloppy.”
Fiore, 54, was appointed as a judge in conservative Nye County in 2022 following a failed attempt to become Nevada’s state treasurer. She later won election to finish out the term of a deceased judge, serving in Pahrump, about an hour from Las Vegas.
Fiore gained notoriety during her tenure in the Nevada Legislature from 2012 to 2016 for her family Christmas cards featuring guns. She was also a Las Vegas city council member from 2017 until 2022.
Fiore commented, “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.” She also expressed frustration at not being allowed to address the judge at the trial.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press