A former Las Vegas councilwoman was found guilty of soliciting $70,000 in donations for a memorial honoring slain police officers — then using the dough to pay for it. For plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.,
A jury convicted Michelle Fiore, 54, of six counts of federal wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each count carries a possible sentence of 20 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors claimed during the trial that Fiore raised more than $70,000 for a statue of slain Las Vegas police officers Allin Beck and Igor Soldo, who were killed in the line of duty, but that the money was spent on plastic surgery, rent and his daughter’s wedding. Including spent on personal expenses.
Federal prosecutor Dahoud Askar said, “Michelle Fiore used a tragedy to line his pockets.”
Fiore will remain free while awaiting sentencing and her attorney, Michael Senft, said she would appeal the sentence after the jury returns its verdict within a few hours.
“Normally when people are that fast, they’ve already made up their minds before the closing arguments, so it must have been some kind of testimony that happened in the middle of the trial that caused most of them to say, ‘ Oh, that’s all we needed,” Senft said.
Fiore’s home in northwest Las Vegas was raided by FBI agents in 2021, in what Senf described as a “botched” investigation.
The Republican lawmaker served one term in the Nevada Legislature from 2012 to 2016 and is a state member of the Republican National Committee.
The ardent gun rights supporter lost a bid for state treasurer in 2022 to Democrat Zack Conine.
Since that year, Fiore has been one of two local justices of the peace in Pahrump, a rural area located an hour outside Las Vegas. He has since been suspended from his post without pay.
Fiore will be sentenced on January 6.
With post wires.
(TagstoTranslate)US News(T)Indictments(T)Las Vegas(T)Nevada(T)Wire Fraud
