Nevada politician accused of pocketing donations for fallen officer memorial

LAS VEGAS (CN) — A former Las Vegas City Council member and current Nye County justice of the peace faces federal fraud charges after reportedly pocketing money donated to honor fallen police officers.

Federal prosecutors say Michele Fiore collected tens of thousands of dollars in donations to build a statue honoring officers killed in the line of duty, promising that "100% of the contributions" would go to the cause. None of the money went to its intended purpose, according to the Justice Department.

According to the indictment, the fraud began in July 2019, when Fiore was both a Las Vegas City Council member and Republican National Committee member for the state of Nevada. At that time, Fiore began soliciting donations to create a statue of fallen police officer Alyn Beck in the soon-to-be-built Alan Beck Memorial Park, despite knowing that a private company already agreed to pay for the statue. She asked donors to write checks to a bank account she controlled, then transferred that money to other bank accounts to cover her tracks.

"The donations were used to pay her political fundraising bills and rent and were transferred to family members, including to pay for her daughter’s wedding," federal prosecutors said in a statement.

Just before Alyn Beck Memorial Park opened in 2020, Fiore reportedly took credit for funding the statue, telling the sculptor that she had secured discretionary funds through the city of Las Vegas to cover the costs.

The FBI conducted an investigation into Fiore's campaign finances in 2021, executing a search warrant on her home and interviewing people close to her.

Fiore faces four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in prison on each charge.

This is not the first time Fiore has been in financial hot water. In 2014, the Internal Revenue Service filed liens against Fiore's home health care business for failing to pay employee payroll taxes. The next year, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services voided Fiore's license after she refused to allow inspectors to inspect her business records.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit