A former Las Vegas councilwoman was found guilty of pocketing $70,000 in donations meant for a memorial to honor slain police officers — then using the dough to pay for plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.
A jury convicted Michele Fiore, 54, of six counts of federal wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each count carries a possible penalty of 20 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors claimed during the trial that Fiore raised over $70,000 for the statue of slain Las Vegas police officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo, killed in the line of duty, but spent the money on personal expenses including plastic surgery, rent and her daughter’s wedding.
“Michele Fiore used a tragedy to line her pockets,” federal prosecutor Dahoud Askar said.
Fiore will remain free while awaiting sentencing and her attorney Michael Sanft said she will appeal the conviction after the jury reached its verdict within hours.
“Typically when people are that fast, they’ve already made up their minds even before the closing arguments so it had to have been some type of testimony that had occurred in the middle of the trial that caused the majority of them to say, ‘oh, that’s all we needed,’” Sanft said.
Fiore’s home in northwest Las Vegas was raided by FBI agents in 2021 in what Sanft described as a “sloppy” investigation.
The Republican lawmaker served one term in the Nevada Legislature from 2012 through 2016 and is a state member of the Republican National Committee.
The fervent gun rights supporter lost a bid for state treasurer to Democrat Zach Conine in 2022.
Since that year, Fiore has been one of two local justices of the peace in Pahrump, a rural area an hour outside Las Vegas. She has since been suspended from her post without pay.
Fiore will be sentenced on Jan. 6.
With Post wires.