Prosecutors now allege Fiore defrauded donors of hundreds of thousands of dollars
When the Department of Justice first published a news release about the indictment of former Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore in July, the DOJ alleged that she had raised tens of thousands of dollars for a statue of a fallen officer, then spent it on herself and her daughter’s wedding.
But in a new court filing, prosecutors allege that Fiore’s financial fraud went much further than they previously claimed.
“Fiore has repeatedly defrauded donors to her campaigns, her political action committee, and even her Section 501(c)(3) charity by secretly diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions to those entities for her personal use,” prosecutors wrote. “This has enabled the defendant to live beyond her means, using donor money to pay for rent, plastic surgery, vacations, and her daughter’s wedding.”
Fiore, 53, of Pahrump, was initially indicted by a federal grand jury in July on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors allege that while she was a councilwoman, she raised tens of thousands of dollars for a statue of a fallen Metropolitan Police Department officer, Alyn Beck, but spent it on herself and her daughter’s wedding.
In an Aug. 20 superseding indictment, Fiore was charged with two additional counts of wire fraud. She pleaded not guilty to the charges in that superseding indictment in a short hearing before Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts on Monday.
She previously pleaded not guilty to the original charges. She has defended her political career and attacked prosecutors as “corrupt.” On Monday, she said she was “not guilty” of the new allegation that she had misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Fiore most recently served as a Pahrump justice of the peace but was suspended by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline because of her indictment.
The amended indictment listed two more donors, a trust and a union. State records indicate those donors were Laborers International Union 872 of Las Vegas and LECET of Southern Nevada, a trust with ties to the union.
Records indicate Gov. Joe Lombardo was also among Fiore’s donors.
Fiore’s trial is scheduled to start on Sept. 24.
New court documents
Federal prosecutors intend to present evidence at trial that Fiore spent donations to her council campaign on herself, according to the new motion.
Fiore has attempted to conceal her fraud by lying on campaign disclosures and using entities like a magazine company and a relative’s event-planning company as “conduits,” prosecutors alleged.
Prosecutors also argued in the motion that some defense arguments would be “irrelevant and inadmissible.”
They said those included arguments about federal prosecutions against the Bundy family, which Fiore supported in its conflict with the federal government, and claims that Fiore “was selectively or vindictively prosecuted based on her political beliefs or her views about federal law enforcement.”
Federal charges against the Bundys were dismissed due to prosecutorial misconduct.
Fiore’s defense lawyer, Michael Sanft, argued in a motion that prosecutors should be prohibited from introducing evidence about Fiore’s financial transactions from “before the event regarding the statue.”
He also said prosecutors waited years to file charges against her. The FBI searched her house in January 2021, he said, while investigating Fiore’s campaign account and political action committee. A grand jury was assigned to Fiore in 2019, but she was not indicted until July, he said.
Trial logistics
Prosecutors and Sanft have agreed on questions for the jury in Fiore’s trial, expected to last two and a half weeks.
They include “Do you know or have you heard anything about this case?,” “Do you have any strong opinions about the FBI or (Department of Justice)?” and “What is your favorite movie and why?”
Sanft told reporters that the prosecution currently has 61 witnesses and the defense has 14. Witness lists are concealed from the public on the federal courts website.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
