A former councilwoman of Las Vegas stole $70,000 in gifts meant for a memorial to honor police officers who died and spent it on plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.
An expert panel found Michele Fiore guilty of six counts of federal wire fraud and one count of plot to commit wire fraud. It is possible to get 20 years in jail for each count.
During the trial, federal prosecutors said that Fiore had raised more than $70,000 for a statue of dead Las Vegas police officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo, but she had spent the money on herself, paying rent, getting plastic surgery, and paying for her daughter’s wedding.
A federal lawyer named Dahoud Askar said, “Michele Fiore used a tragedy to make money.”
Fiore’s lawyer, Michael Sanft, said she will challenge the verdict.
“When people are that quick, they usually have their minds made up before the closing statements,” Sanft said. “So it had to have been some kind of testimony that happened in the middle of the trial that made most of them say, ‘Oh, that’s all we needed.’”
FBI officers searched Fiore’s home in northwest Las Vegas in 2021 as part of a probe. Sanft said that this was happening.
The Republican lawmaker is a state member of the Republican National Committee. From 2012 to 2016, she spent one term in the Nevada Legislature.
But Zach Conine (D-Nev.) beat her in the 2022 race for state treasurer. After that, she was one of two justices of the peace in Pahrump, a rural place an hour outside of Las Vegas, until she was fired without pay.
Fiore won’t be sentenced until January 6, 2025. Until then, she will be free.
