Nevada Republican is suspended without pay from her judge’s seat after her fraud conviction

By James On Oct 22, 2024

A Nevada Republican who once ran for state treasurer has been suspended without pay from her judgeship in rural Pahrump after being found guilty of misusing money raised for a statue of a murdered Las Vegas police officer

LAS VEGAS– A Republican who once ran for Nevada state treasurer has been suspended without pay from her statewide judge seat after a federal jury found she diverted funds for personal use for a statue of a slain Las Vegas police officer.

Michele Fiore’s job status changed Monday following a Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline hearing last week and a decision filed Monday in the state Supreme Court. The commission had suspended Fiore with pay from the Pahrump judge following her July indictment on federal fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud charges.

Her court-appointed attorney, Paola Armeni, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.

A jury found Fiore guilty Oct. 3 after a weeklong trial in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas. Jurors were told she had diverted about $70,000 donated for a statue of one of the two police officers for her personal use. killed while on duty in June 2014. Evidence showed that Fiore used some of the money for cosmetic surgery, rent and her daughter’s wedding.

Fiore, 54, is a former state assemblyman and member of the Las Vegas City Council appointed judge by Nye County lawmakers in 2022 after losing her campaign for state treasurer. She was elected in June to complete the unexpired term of a deceased judge. Pahrump is an hour’s drive west of Las Vegas.

She remains free pending sentencing on January 6 and could face decades in prison. Her former attorney said after the verdict that Fiore plans to appeal her conviction.

Fiore is perhaps best known for supporting gun control and supporting states’ rights attorney Cliven Bundy during and after armed standoffs against federal officers in Bunkerville, Nevadain 2014, and at a national wildlife refuge in Oregon in 2016.