Michele Fiore appeals her suspension without pay to the court | Dishes

Michele Fiore is appealing her unpaid suspension as a judge caused by a jury's guilty verdict in her wire fraud case, which Fiore called an “armed, political trial.”

Last month, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline voted unanimously to continue Fiore's suspension from the Pahrump Justice Court bench and also eliminate her salary.

The move came after a jury found Fiore guilty of federal fraud in a case in which prosecutors said she used donations intended for a fallen officer's memorial for personal expenses.

“This isn’t over yet.”

Fiore told the Review-Journal on Tuesday that she believes she should continue to receive a salary while her attorney prepares to file an appeal in the criminal case.

“I think I should still get paid because, again, I'm pleading not guilty,” Fiore said. “This isn't over yet. We're appealing the whole thing. It was a truly armed political process.”

Fiore claimed there were inconsistencies in prosecutors' statements to jurors and that witnesses lied on the stand. She said she didn't want to talk about the details of the trial before an appeal is filed.

After initially speaking to the Review-Journal, Fiore called a reporter back and said this article should state that “prosecutors lied to jurors and witnesses on the stand and should be indicted,” otherwise Fiore said she wouldn't deal with it Reporters speak future articles.

The Review-Journal previously reported that Fiore accused witnesses of misleading statements during the trial.

Fiore's attorney, Paola Armeni, filed an appeal Nov. 4 against the disciplinary commission's suspension of Fiore without pay, court records show.

The commission suspended Fiore with pay in July and she was paid more than $20,900 after her arraignment, a Nye County spokesman said. The commission stripped her of her salary after a brief hearing last month.

Under Nevada law governing the commission, a judge can be suspended without pay if the judge is found guilty of a crime. The commission also has the authority to remove a judge from the bench if it finds that the judge has committed “willful misconduct,” which, under Nevada law, includes conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude.

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, who was killed along with his partner in 2014.

Prosecutors accused Fiore of using her charity and political action committee to raise money, which she then spent on personal expenses such as rent, plastic surgery and payments for her daughter's wedding.

Fiore, a former Las Vegas city councilwoman, was appointed to the Pahrump Justice Court bench by the Nye County Commission in December 2022. She then won a June primary to retain her office, shortly before she was indicted in the wire fraud case.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 10

Armeni said during a commission meeting last month that she expects to file post-trial motions and appeal the criminal case. She said she expects to file a motion for a new trial and acquittal, which she said could invalidate the jury's verdict if the judge rules in Fiore's favor.

Fiore's sentencing hearing on the federal fraud charges was originally scheduled for early January but has since been pushed back to March 10. Attorneys have said they expect Fiore to face prison time, but her sentencing will be at the discretion of U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at [email protected] or 702-383-0240.