Nye County Magistrate Judge Michelle Fiore, a Republican, had promised donors that all donations would go toward building a statue to fallen police officers, the Department of Justice said in a statement Wednesday.
But federal prosecutors say Fiore used the donations for rent, travel and political fundraising, and sent money to family members, including for his wedding.
At his initial arraignment in Las Vegas federal court on Friday, Fiore pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. If convicted, prosecutors said he could face up to 20 years in prison on each count.
At a brief news conference outside court, Fiore called the allegations “disturbing.”
“I have served as a city council member and judge with integrity, honor and respect,” Fiore, 53, said Friday. “This indictment is a direct attack on my character. I look forward to learning the details of the charges against me and addressing these horrific allegations head-on.”
Nancy Schreihans, secretary of the Nevada Judicial Disciplinary Commission, which investigates complaints against judges, said Wednesday that the commission is aware of the charges but would not comment further.
Fiore, a New York native and staunch Republican, is well known in Nevada for his colorful political style, supporting gun rights but also same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization, and gained widespread attention in 2016 for his efforts in negotiating a resolution to a standoff between the FBI and anti-government occupiers in Oregon.
Fiore announced his 2021 gubernatorial run with a controversial campaign ad laying out his “Three Shot Plan”: ban vaccine mandates, ban critical race theory and stop voter fraud. In it, Fiore drives into the desert in a pickup truck with a “Trump 2024” bumper sticker, pulls out a gun and shoots three “socialist” brand beer bottles bearing the words “Mandatory Vaccines,” “CRT” and “Vote Fraud.”
She dropped out of the race in 2022. That same year, she ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer.
According to the indictment, the Las Vegas City Council approved a plan in 2015 to create a park to commemorate 41-year-old police officer Allyn Beck, who was killed in the line of duty the previous year. The plan was approved before Fiore was elected to the council.
Beck was described in his family’s obituary as “one of the toughest men in the city of Las Vegas, but with one of the kindest, most compassionate hearts.” Beck and another officer were shot and killed while eating lunch at a restaurant in June 2014, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The Las Vegas Police Department later told the Review-Journal it was the first time two officers had been killed in the same incident.
The council later also approved plans for a park commemorating another officer, Igor Soldo.
Fiore was elected to the Las Vegas City Council in 2017. The following year, the city began construction on Allyn Beck Memorial Park with funding from a private real estate developer, according to the indictment. At the groundbreaking ceremony, Fiore allegedly suggested placing a statue of Beck at the park’s entrance.
The following year, the same company, which is not named in the indictment, agreed to pay a sculptor to create and install the statue, according to the indictment. Prosecutors allege that Fiore knew about the agreement but continued to solicit donations ostensibly for the statue between July 2019 and January 2020.
According to the indictment, she told certain donors, at least one of whom was a Nevada public servant, that if they wanted to donate to a statue of Beck or a memorial to fallen officers, they could donate directly to her charity or political action committee. She created a PAC in 2017 and a charity in 2019 aimed at raising money for services to the Las Vegas community.
According to the indictment, the statue was unveiled on Jan. 31, 2020. But none of the money Fiore had raised before then was used to build the statue, prosecutors said Wednesday.
In a statement on the same day, Fiore said he first learned of the indictment from the media and called it “unacceptable.”
“This indictment has been years in the making and has had an enormous impact on my life, the lives of my adult children and grandchildren, friends, and especially my constituents,” she wrote. “Now that I have been charged, I look forward to the opportunity to address these charges in court.”
Standing next to his lawyers outside court on Friday, Fiore spoke briefly to reporters, promising to “stick to the script” — “and those of you who know me well know that if I go off script, I get in trouble” — and then read a statement blasting what he called “the shadow games that others have played over the past decade.”
“No weapon formed against me will ever succeed,” Fiore said in closing. As she walked away, reporters began chanting, “Did you get the money?”
Their questions went unanswered.
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 9, with the trial set for Sept. 24.
