Prosecutors say Fiore’s daughter committed perjury in fraud trial testimony

Federal prosecutors alleged Tuesday that Michele Fiore’s daughter committed perjury while testifying about the wire fraud and conspiracy charges her mother is facing.

Earlier in the day, Fiore’s daughter Sheena Siegel stopped answering questions about handling money from her mother’s political action committee, and told prosecutors she was invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Siegel announced she wanted to “plead the Fifth” after a pause in the trial, which had been prompted by prosecutors asking her if she was admitting to a crime.

“She committed perjury either in this court or in the grand jury,” federal prosecutor Alexander Gottfried told the judge on Tuesday afternoon after Siegel had been dismissed from the witness stand.

Gottfried said that Siegel’s testimony on Tuesday had contradicted prior statements she made.

On Tuesday morning, Siegel testified that she did not know if a signature on a check from Fiore’s PAC, Future for Nevadans, was written by her or her mother. She said she may have signed the check from the PAC, which was made out to Siegel’s personal checking account, even though she was not a signatory on her mother’s PAC account. She also admitted that signing the check would not have been legal.

The trial was paused as Gottfried asked Siegel if she was “admitting to a federal crime.”

During the break in the trial, the judge called a federal public defender to consult with Siegel about her testimony.

“Is it your intention to plead the Fifth in response to any question I ask you?” Gottfried asked Siegel when the trial resumed.

“Yes,” Siegel answered.

Fraud and conspiracy charges

Fiore, a former Las Vegas councilwoman who recently served as a Pahrump justice of the peace, has been standing trial on wire fraud and conspiracy charges. Prosecutors have accused her of raising money for a statue honoring fallen Metropolitan Police Department officer Alyn Beck, and then using that money on personal expenses such as rent, plastic surgery and payments for the wedding of her other daughter, Savanah Kaime.

Several high-profile local business owners have testified about donating money for the trial. Gov. Joe Lombardo testified on Monday that he authorized a $5,000 check from his campaign account to be sent to Fiore’s PAC.

The Alyn Beck sculpture was created as part of a park developed by Olympia Companies, as part of the Skye Canyon planned community. The company initially agreed to pay for half the sculpture, but then paid for the entire cost as a gesture to “honor the officer,” Chris Armstrong, an executive with the company, testified on Monday.

The sculptor, Brian Hanlon, has previously testified that he received no payments from Fiore for the statue.

Invoked Fifth Amendment right

Siegel first took the witness stand on Monday, when she said she helped her mother create a charity account. She also said she did not consult accountants or attorneys when researching requirements for reporting contributions and expenses.

As Fiore’s attorney, Michael Sanft, continued questioning the witness Tuesday morning, Siegel said she had worked for her mother for several years. She testified that she would frequently purchase items in cash to be used for various events and fundraisers that Fiore organized during her time as a councilwoman.

Siegel said she would take checks from Fiore’s accounts, written to Siegel’s personal bank account, and cash them in order to buy supplies for those events.

Siegel invoked her Fifth Amendment right in response to multiple questions on Tuesday afternoon, including when prosecutors asked her if she had conspired with Fiore to defraud donors who gave money for the statue.

In the criminal indictment filed in July against Fiore, prosecutors wrote that an unnamed “relative and co-conspirator” had “served as a conduit to conceal the means and methods of Fiore’s fraud by receiving payments from entities controlled by Fiore and spending those proceeds to benefit the conspirators.”

Fiore declined to speak with a reporter about her daughter’s testimony on Tuesday afternoon.

After Siegel was dismissed, prosecutors told the judge that they intended to argue for Siegel’s entire testimony to be stricken from the record, preventing the jury from considering it in their deliberations.

Prosecutors said Siegel had been offered immunity from prosecution in exchange for her full cooperation and honesty when it came to Fiore’s alleged campaign fund violations. But Gottfried said that agreement did not cover the possibility that Siegel misappropriated checks from Fiore’s PAC.

Siegel’s testimony about the checks may have contradicted prior testimony she gave to a grand jury, when she said she did not take out any money from that account without authorization from Fiore, according to prosecutors.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey said attorneys could present arguments about Siegel’s testimony on Wednesday morning. She would then give Fiore an opportunity to decide if she would like to take the witness stand herself.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.