Nye County Justice of the Peace Michele Fiore was suspended with pay this week by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline after being indicted on federal wire fraud charges. The seven commissioners voted unanimously to approve the suspension on July 24 after Fiore waived her right to a hearing.
A federal grand jury voted to charge Fiore with four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She and an unnamed co-conspirator are alleged to have schemed to defraud donors of more than $70,000.
She pleaded not guilty on July 19 in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas.
As previously reported, Fiore solicited donations to build a statue honoring Las Vegas police officers who were killed in the line of duty. She was a Las Vegas City Council member for the city’s Ward 6 at the time and promised donors that “100% of the contributions” would be used for the statue.
Department of Justice officials allege Fiore did not use any donated funds for the statues. Instead, they said, she used the tens of thousands of dollars to pay for rent, personal expenses and for a vendor at her daughter’s wedding.
