Latest news with #NevadaCommissiononJudicialDiscipline
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Fake case': Michele Fiore responds to Trump pardon
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Suspended Nye County Justice of the Peace Michele Fiore, the one-time state legislator and controversial Las Vegas city councilwoman, told the 8 News Now Investigators on Friday that President Donald Trump pardoned a federal jury's guilty verdict on wire fraud charges because it was a 'fake case.' In October 2024, a jury convicted Fiore, suspended in July 2024 from her position as justice court judge in Nye County, after deliberating for two hours. The panel convicted her on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud for taking money meant for fallen police officers' memorials and spending it on herself. Fiore denies she was convicted, technically speaking, and maintains she was never sentenced and the court never entered a judgment of conviction. In her first televised comments since the Presidential pardon, Fiore, in an impromptu on-camera conversation outside of an AM radio station where she completed an hour-long interview, denied stealing charitable donations to pay for her daughter's wedding. But federal prosecutors convinced a jury she did just that, with money she said she was raising for the officers' statues. 'It was a fake case, and the government knew it,' Fiore told the 8 News Now Investigators on Friday. Fiore then got behind the wheel of her pick-up truck and closed the door, ending the interview. But her conversation with well-known Las Vegas political consultant Tom Letizia, broadcast Friday morning, allowed Fiore to tell some of her story. Fiore has long criticized the media for its handling of her federal trial and its aftermath as unfair and inaccurate. Explaining her reaction to Trump's pardon, Fiore told Letizia she cried for 40 minutes. 'I just started crying because, you know, knowing what I was going through. No 1, for some reason, people think I have President Donald J. Trump on speed dial. I do not.' The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline, which suspended Fiore with pay when she was indicted on the federal wire fraud charges, revoked her pay after her conviction. Earlier this week, in a written filing, it reinstated her pay but upheld her suspension. 'I don't know what happened behind the scenes with the judicial commission, but I do know that they are dragging their feet,' Fiore said on Letizia's radio show, 'The Middle Ground.' 'And they do know that what's happening right now is not right or ethical or legal. It's an abuse of their authority.' In its decision, the commission said the allegations against Fiore present 'a substantial threat of serious harm to the public and to the administration of justice.' On Thursday, Fiore appealed that decision to the Nevada Supreme Court. First elected as a Republican Nevada assemblywoman in 2012, Fiore later served as Las Vegas mayor pro tem and unsuccessfully ran for governor and treasurer as a Republican. Nye County Commissioners appointed her to her judgeship in late 2022. Last June, before her indictment, voters re-elected Fiore, who is not an attorney, to that position. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michele Fiore suspended from Nye County bench with pay following Trump pardon
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Pahrump judge and former Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore will remain suspended from the bench after receiving a presidential pardon, for now. Last month, President Donald Trump pardoned Fiore, a Nye County Justice of the Peace, after a jury convicted her of taking money meant for fallen police officers' memorials and spending it on herself. The jury deliberated for two hours, convicting her in federal court on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud. Following Fiore's federal indictment last July, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline suspended her from office with pay amid the proceedings. The commission later suspended her without pay after her conviction. The commission held a hearing on Friday, May 9, following the pardon to discuss its next steps. In an order filed Monday, the commission kept Fiore suspended pending a final review, citing the allegations against Fiore as 'a substantial threat of serious harm to the public and to the administration of justice.' Fiore will be suspended this time with pay. The order notes the commission 'has received additional complaints against [Fiore]' since the pardon. There was no indication in the document filed Monday when the commission could complete its investigation. 'When does this end?' Paola Armeni, Fiore's attorney, said during the May 9 hearing. Armeni added the commission only has jurisdiction over a judge's actions as a sitting judge. 'The commission can no longer issue, rescind, and reinstate based on this conviction, based on the pardon,' Armeni said. 'There is nothing before this commission about her conduct as a judge, nothing.' Trump pardoned Fiore on April 23. First elected as a Republican Nevada assemblywoman in 2012, Fiore later served as Las Vegas mayor pro tem and unsuccessfully ran for governor and treasurer as a Republican. Nye County Commissioners appointed her to her judgeship in late 2022. Last June, before her indictment, voters re-elected Fiore, who is not an attorney, to that position. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump pardons Nevada lawmaker who used slain officer memorial funds for plastic surgery
The Brief Michele Fiore, a former Nevada lawmaker and Las Vegas city councilwoman, was convicted of wire fraud after spending memorial funds on personal expenses. President Donald Trump issued her a full pardon, which she announced on Facebook Thursday. Fiore was awaiting sentencing and had faced decades in prison after prosecutors said she spent donations on cosmetic surgery and rent. LAS VEGAS - President Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to Michele Fiore, a controversial Nevada Republican politician convicted of using funds meant for a slain officer's memorial on personal expenses, including cosmetic surgery. Fiore announced the pardon Thursday via Facebook, calling herself the target of a decade-long conspiracy. Fiore had been awaiting sentencing after being found guilty in October of six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. Prosecutors said she raised over $70,000 to honor Las Vegas police officer Alyn Beck—killed in the line of duty in 2014—but diverted the money to pay for rent, wedding costs for her daughter, and plastic surgery. The backstory Fiore, 54, has long been a polarizing political figure in Nevada. She served in the state Legislature from 2012 to 2016 and then as a Las Vegas city councilmember until 2022. That same year, she lost a bid for state treasurer before being appointed as a judge in Nye County, despite not having a law degree. She gained national attention for her vocal support of rancher Cliven Bundy and his followers during armed standoffs with federal agents in 2014 and 2016. Most recently, Fiore had been suspended without pay from her judicial post due to her legal troubles. In her statement, she said she plans to return to the bench next week. What they're saying The White House confirmed Trump signed the pardon but did not comment further. Nevada Democratic Party Executive Director Hilary Barrett called the move "reckless" and "a slap in the face" to law enforcement. The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline said it is aware of the pardon but offered no update yet on Fiore's suspension status. The Source This story is based on reporting from the Associated Press, including public statements made by Michele Fiore, official confirmation from the White House, and details presented during her federal trial on wire fraud charges. Additional context comes from statements by federal prosecutors and Nevada state officials.
