LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A jury convicted Pahrump Justice of the Peace Michele Fiore on all counts in a federal wire fraud case on Thursday.
Fiore, currently suspended as Pahrump justice of the peace, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud.
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“She is an elected official. It is her job to safeguard the public trust. Instead, she abused it through her actions,” federal prosecutor Dahoud Askar said during his rebuttal. “She stole from charitable donors.”
Askar and Alexander Gottfried, trial attorneys with the Department of Justice Public Integrity Section, urged the jury to find Fiore guilty.
Fiore is accused of raising more than $70,000 for a statue to remember Las Vegas Metro police officer Alyn Beck, but then spending the money on personal expenses. Beck and Officer Igor Soldo were killed in the line of duty in 2014.
“Michele Fiore used a tragedy to line her pockets,” Askar told the jury.
An executive with Olympia Companies, a major developer, had testified the company paid for the statue in its entirety and Fiore would have known this. He could not specify exactly when she would have been informed.
“Show me the records,” Fiore’s defense attorney, Michael Sanft, repeated three times during his closing argument.
Sanft said the FBI failed to do a “complete and unbiased” investigation into Fiore.
“When the FBI is sloppy, that’s dangerous,” Sanft told jurors. “This is your FBI. This is your Department of Justice. Hold them to their burden.”
While Sanft said a search of Fiore’s home revealed no extravagant purchases, Gottfried zeroed in on three expenses he alleged Fiore paid for with the charity money: rent, plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.
In reference to a plastic surgery facility, Gottfried said Fiore “is a major client there. She spent a lot of money there over the years.”
Federal prosecutors alleged Fiore received donations for the statue and then wrote checks to her daughter, Sheena Siegel, who cashed them to pay for personal expenses like rent.
Prosecutors identified Siegel as a co-conspirator, “Person A,” in the indictment against her mother.
“Person A, an individual who resided in the state of Nevada, is a relative and co-conspirator of Fiore who received a portion of the fraudulent proceeds and served as a conduit to conceal the means and methods of Fiore’s fraud by receiving payment from entities controlled by Fiore and spending those proceeds to benefit the conspirators,” the indictment said.
Siegel had a previous immunity agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office, which U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Dorsey said she was previously unaware of.
Siegel had testified in her mother’s defense, claiming she used cash to spend money on causes like toys for the needy and constituent events while Fiore served on the Las Vegas City Council. During cross-examination, when Siegel said she may have written a check to herself from Fiore’s account, Gottfried asked her if she was admitting to a federal crime. Fiore slammed her hand on a table and quickly apologized. Dorsey brought the proceedings to a halt to find Siegel legal representation. She then repeatedly pleaded the Fifth — a constitutional right to avoid incriminating herself. Dorsey later decided to strike Siegel’s entire testimony.
In his closing statement, Gottfried referred to Siegel when explaining the conspiracy charge telling the jurors they don’t need to consider Siegel as the “mastermind” and they can even feel bad for the position her mother may have put her in.
Sanft said prosecutors had no proof of Fiore’s income, used professional photos of her home to put a “spin” on the case, and failed to speak to witnesses like her other daughter Savannah, the bride of the wedding Fiore is accused of using charity money for. Sanft argued that authorities searched Fiore’s home because bank statements weren’t enough to prove their case.
Fiore told Dorsey Wednesday she would not testify in her defense.
Government witnesses included business leaders like the CEO of Community Ambulance, high profile attorneys like David Chesnoff, and Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo.
Lombardo took the stand Monday and testified his campaign, “Lombardo for Sheriff” donated $5,000 for the Beck statue in 2019. Lombardo said he would not have authorized the donation if he knew the money would go toward personal expenses. He also recalled donating to Fiore’s various political campaigns. They are both Republicans.
Fiore previously pleaded not guilty to the original charges filed in July and subsequent charges filed earlier this month. The allegations against Fiore date back to when she was a Las Vegas city councilwoman in 2019, according to the indictment.
Fiore most recently served on the bench in Pahrump Justice Court in Nye County. The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline suspended her from judicial office with salary on July 24. The commission shall suspend a judge with salary while there is a pending felony indictment, per Nevada state law. Fiore’s term ends in January 2025.
Fiore made an unsuccessful run for Nevada State Treasurer in 2022.
Fiore served in the Nevada Legislature, and on the Las Vegas City Council as a member and then mayor pro-tem. She also ran unsuccessfully for the governor’s seat and state treasurer. Her political career has been peppered with controversy that included support for an anti-government movement involving rancher Cliven Bundy, making insensitive racial comments that resulted in an NAACP complaint, and engaging in a physical fight with another city council member.
Sigal Chattah, the Republican National committeewoman for Nevada, sat behind Fiore in the courtroom Thursday. She refused to speak with a reporter.
