Michele Fiore suspended without pay after conviction
Michele Fiore has been suspended without pay from her position as Pahrump Justice of the Peace, according to court documents filed Monday.
The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline voted unanimously to suspend Fiore without pay, following a Friday hearing in which Fiore’s attorney argued that she should be allowed to continue collecting a salary while she is suspended from the bench in Pahrump Justice Court, despite her recent conviction in a federal wire fraud case.
In a message to the Las Vegas Review-Journal Monday evening, Fiore wrote that she was disappointed with the commission’s decision and would be appealing.
“I have faith in my new legal counsel, and I am confident that as we file the appropriate motions and the appeal, the people of Nevada will see the full picture,” she wrote.
Fiore added that there were “deeper issues at play” in the case. She accused witnesses of misleading testimony and wrote that the jury did not have the full scope of evidence.
Paola Armeni, who was appointed to represent Fiore after her criminal trial, said Friday that she would likely file a motion for a new trial and a motion for an acquittal, which she said could invalidate the jury’s verdict.
The Judicial Discipline Commission had suspended Fiore with pay shortly after she was indicted in July. She has been paid more than $20,900 since she was indicted, according to Nye County spokesman Arnold Knightly.
This month, a federal jury found Fiore guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud for defrauding donors who thought they were contributing to a statue of fallen Metropolitan Police Department officer Alyn Beck.
Prosecutors accused Fiore of using her charity and political action committee to raise money that she then spent on personal expenses such as rent, plastic surgery and payments toward her daughter’s wedding.
Fiore, a former Las Vegas city councilwoman, was appointed to the bench in Pahrump Justice Court by the Nye County Commission in December 2022. She then won a primary election for the bench in June, a month before she was indicted.
During Fiore’s trial, prosecutors argued that she raised more than $70,000 while she was a city councilwoman for the statue honoring Beck, but then made no payments toward the memorial.
Attorneys have said they expect Fiore will face some prison time in the wire fraud case, but her sentence will be at the discretion of U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey.
According to Nevada law governing the commission, a judge can be suspended without pay if the judge is found guilty of a felony. If the conviction is later reversed, the judge will be paid their salary for the period of the suspension.
The commission also has the power to remove a judge from the bench if it determines that the judge committed “willful misconduct,” which includes being convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, according to Nevada law. Fiore’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 6, but her attorney has filed a motion to set that hearing for a later date, court records show.
Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.