The president's latest pardon: ‘Lady Trump'
President Donald Trump has pardoned a former Las Vegas City Council member and one-time Nevada gubernatorial candidate who was found guilty of fraud last year, the latest example of the president using his pardon power to reward allies.
Michele Fiore — who has occasionally been dubbed 'Lady Trump' — was convicted in October of using $70,000 she solicited to build a memorial for two fallen police officers on personal expenses, including political fundraising bills and rent payments. Last week, a judge dismissed her request for a new trial and scheduled her sentencing for May 14.
Trump pardoned Fiore Wednesday, according to court documents filed Thursday by Fiore's attorneys.
Trump has extensively wielded his pardon power in his second term, using it to spare political allies and those he feels were dealt with unfairly by federal law enforcement.
In March, he granted clemency to two former Hunter Biden associates who assisted Republicans during their failed impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
He pardoned ex-Illinois governor and former "Celebrity Apprentice" guest Rod Blagojevich in February after commuting his sentence in 2020. And in January, shortly after retaking the White House, Trump issued sweeping pardons for 1,500 people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Fiore's pardon.
Fiore served in the Nevada state Legislature from 2012 to 2016 and in the Las Vegas City Council from 2017 to 2022. She launched a brief run for governor in 2021 before switching to a state treasurer run. She narrowly lost the November 2022 general election.
She was convicted in October of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud, and faced a maximum penalty of over 100 years in prison
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