LAS VEGAS, NV - On Friday morning, July 19th, Michele Fiore, a former Las Vegas City Council woman and the current Nye County justice of the peace, pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a police memorial charity fraud scheme.
According to KTNV, Fiore entered her plea before Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Albregts. Earlier in the week, a federal grand jury handed down an indictment charging Fiore with four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud based on evidence that she used charitable donations for personal gain during her time as a Las Vegas City council woman representing Ward 6.
Prosecutors allege that Fiore solicited tens of thousands of dollars in donations with the promise of constructing a memorial to fallen police officers in Las Vegas. She has been accused of stealing more than $70,000, using it on her own personal expenses, including political fundraising bills, rent, and to pay for her daughter's wedding.
According to 3News, the indictment said that Fiore raised money for the memorial through a political action committee and a charity, but transferred the funds from those bank accounts into bank accounts controlled by Fiore, a family member, and a private company the family member owned and operated.
Fiore's defense attorneys said that they intend to submit an order requesting that some aspects of the case be sealed. The attorneys also noted their ability to exchange discovery may be impacted in the short term due to the ongoing global IT outage linked to the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
After entering her not guilty plea, Fiore was released on her own recognizance and has a trial start date of September 24th. The judge has ordered her to not have contact with any non-family-member witnesses outside the presence of legal counsel. If convicted, Fiore faces up to 20 years in prison for each count. After the hearing, the former council woman held a press conference outside the courthouse.
Before called the allegations against her "repugnant," she said, "I'm gonna stick to the script because, for you that are familiar with me, when I go off script I get in trouble. So, let's just not create more issues. I have served as a city council woman and a judge with integrity, honor, and respect. This indictment is a direct attack on my character. I look forward to learning the specifics of the accusations against me and addressing these horrible allegations head on."
She ended her press conference with a quote from the bible, "No weapon formed against me will ever prosper." As of this writing, it is unclear if Fiore will continue to judge criminal cases in Nye County while her case makes it through federal court.
Nevada law says that the state Commission on Judicial Discipline, "shall suspect a judge from the exercise of office with salary while there is pending an indictment or information charging the judge with a crime punishable as a felony pursuant to the laws of the State of Nevada or the United States."
Commission staff released the following statement, "the Commission has been made aware of the federal indictment against Judge Fiore as set forth with recent news coverage. Pursuant to law, however, the Commission is prohibited from commenting any further regarding this matter. Please note that if the Commission takes public action against any judge, it will be posted on the Commission's website under the 'Commission Decisions' tab and/or the 'Public Hearing Schedules' tab."
According to KTNV, Fiore entered her plea before Magistrate Judge Daniel J. Albregts. Earlier in the week, a federal grand jury handed down an indictment charging Fiore with four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud based on evidence that she used charitable donations for personal gain during her time as a Las Vegas City council woman representing Ward 6.
Prosecutors allege that Fiore solicited tens of thousands of dollars in donations with the promise of constructing a memorial to fallen police officers in Las Vegas. She has been accused of stealing more than $70,000, using it on her own personal expenses, including political fundraising bills, rent, and to pay for her daughter's wedding.
According to 3News, the indictment said that Fiore raised money for the memorial through a political action committee and a charity, but transferred the funds from those bank accounts into bank accounts controlled by Fiore, a family member, and a private company the family member owned and operated.
Fiore's defense attorneys said that they intend to submit an order requesting that some aspects of the case be sealed. The attorneys also noted their ability to exchange discovery may be impacted in the short term due to the ongoing global IT outage linked to the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
After entering her not guilty plea, Fiore was released on her own recognizance and has a trial start date of September 24th. The judge has ordered her to not have contact with any non-family-member witnesses outside the presence of legal counsel. If convicted, Fiore faces up to 20 years in prison for each count. After the hearing, the former council woman held a press conference outside the courthouse.
Before called the allegations against her "repugnant," she said, "I'm gonna stick to the script because, for you that are familiar with me, when I go off script I get in trouble. So, let's just not create more issues. I have served as a city council woman and a judge with integrity, honor, and respect. This indictment is a direct attack on my character. I look forward to learning the specifics of the accusations against me and addressing these horrible allegations head on."
She ended her press conference with a quote from the bible, "No weapon formed against me will ever prosper." As of this writing, it is unclear if Fiore will continue to judge criminal cases in Nye County while her case makes it through federal court.
Nevada law says that the state Commission on Judicial Discipline, "shall suspect a judge from the exercise of office with salary while there is pending an indictment or information charging the judge with a crime punishable as a felony pursuant to the laws of the State of Nevada or the United States."
Commission staff released the following statement, "the Commission has been made aware of the federal indictment against Judge Fiore as set forth with recent news coverage. Pursuant to law, however, the Commission is prohibited from commenting any further regarding this matter. Please note that if the Commission takes public action against any judge, it will be posted on the Commission's website under the 'Commission Decisions' tab and/or the 'Public Hearing Schedules' tab."
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