Taxpayers on the hook for Michele Fiore’s paid vacation

Michele Fiore won’t be returning to the Nye County bench anytime soon — and that’s a boost to the integrity of the Nevada judiciary.

The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline voted unanimously to suspend the Pahrump justice of the peace for the foreseeable future. It was a just decision.

A federal jury convicted Ms. Fiore last year of six counts of wire fraud after finding that she had misappropriated funds intended to build a statue honoring a fallen Metropolitan Police Department officer. During the trial, prosecutors introduced evidence to show Ms. Fiore had used some of the money for plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.

In April, however, President Donald Trump pardoned her for those offenses just prior to sentencing, with no explanation. Ms. Fiore, a former Nevada legislator and Las Vegas city councilwoman, took this to be vindication of her actions and proclaimed she would soon be back on the bench. Her jubilation was premature.

Ms. Fiore argued, in part, that the commission lacked jurisdiction because the behavior in question occurred before she was appointed to the bench. But panelists revealed that they had other pending complaints against her involving judicial conduct. They did not reveal the nature of those complaints, but said Ms. Fiore would remain under suspension at least until they are resolved.

The pardon may indeed close the federal criminal case against Ms. Fiore, but it doesn’t erase her actions. Ms. Fiore used money donated to build a memorial to an officer killed in the line of duty for her own personal enrichment. The commission remains charged with policing ethical conduct by those in Nevada’s judiciary and, as such, it’s difficult to ignore her behavior involving the monument, particularly in light of the new complaints.

The seven-member commission noted that Ms. Fiore’s “continuing deceit of the charitable donors and her unjust enrichment at the expense of the slain police officer statue harms the public’s perception of the judicial system and its confidence in the system’s legitimacy.” Board members also pointed out that she has “continued to defraud donors by keeping donations” and has provided no evidence that she ever returned the contributions in question.

Ms. Fiore lashed out at the commission’s decision, accusing it of “weaponizing” its authority and violating the Constitution. She has the right to appeal.

But Ms. Fiore should be grateful. Her forced vacation will be fully paid, based on the discipline panel’s reasoning that it lacks the authority to financially punish her after the pardon.

So it turns out that, not only did Ms. Fiore play donors to a dead police officer’s statue for suckers, she’s now also fleecing the taxpayers.

The views expressed above are those of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.