'Lady Trump' judge suspended with pay following indictment for allegedly defrauding slain officer charity

Michele Fiore leaving court after pleading not guilty to federal charges on July 19 (KLAS).

A 53-year-old former Las Vegas city councilwoman and current justice court judge has been suspended from performing any of her judicial duties after she was federally indicted on fraud charges for allegedly running a scheme to defraud donors to a charity for memorializing a police officer who lost his life in the line of duty, using the money to travel and pay for her daughter’s wedding.

The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline on Wednesday released an order stating that all seven of its commissioners unanimously voted to suspend Pahrump Justice Court Judge Michele Fiore with salary, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 26. Under Nevada state law, any judge who is indicted for a crime punishable as a felony is required to be suspended with pay.

The order noted that Fiore had waived her right to a public hearing on the matter of the suspension.

The former Republican gubernatorial candidate previously referred to as “Lady Trump” was indicted earlier this month by a federal grand jury on four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in a federal correctional facility on each count.

Appearing in court last week, Fiore pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.

Fiore on Wednesday issued a statement on the indictment claiming that she is being targeted by the feds due to her “life in public service,” particularly, her support for Cliven Bundy during his militia’s standoff with federal agents in 2014.

“For a decade, I’ve been their target for standing up for what is right,” she wrote in part. “As I go through this distressing and challenging time, fight again, and bring light to the shadows, I ask only for your prayers and support. You have entrusted me with your votes because I will always stand for our Constitution and our rights as proud citizens under one flag, even at significant personal cost.”

Federal prosecutors allege that when Fiore was still a member of the city council, she solicited donations to build the statue honoring Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Alyn Beck who was killed while on the job on June 18, 2014. Her solicitations allegedly included a promise that “100% of the contributions” would be put toward the creation of the statue.

However, prosecutors say that Fiore “did not use any of the tens of thousands of dollars in charitable donations for the statue of the fallen officers.” Instead, she allegedly converted all of the money — more than $70,000 — “for her own personal benefit.”

“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,” the release states.

According to the indictment, the basis for the alleged scheme dates back to December 2018, when the city broke ground on Alyn Beck Memorial Park and Fiore proposed the creation of a statue of Beck that would be erected at the entrance of the park. The construction of the park was paid for by a private real estate development company identified in the indictment as “Company A.”

Company A in August 2019 entered into a purchase contract with the sculptor to pay for the statue, installation, and shipping, prosecutors said.

“Fiore was aware from her role as a City Councilwoman involved in the planning of Alyn Beck Memorial Park that Company A had agreed to pay for the statue,” the indictment states. “In January 2020, at a meeting in Fiore’s office prior to the unveiling ceremony, Fiore falsely told the sculptor who created the Alyn Beck Statue that she had appropriated! discretionary funds through the City of Las Vegas to pay for the Alyn Beck Statue.”

But prosecutors allege that since “at least as early as July 2019,” Fiore was soliciting charitable donations under false pretenses for the creation of the statue. Such solicitation allegedly continued until about January 2020.

Fiore previously made headlines when she backed Bundy and referred to his militia as “freedom fighters.” While at the ranch, she even put out a call for the federal agents involved “not to obey your superiors when given a direct order to attack your fellow Americans fighting for the freedoms granted to us by our constitution.”

A staunchly pro-gun advocate, Fiore also sparked controversy when she posted an eyebrow-raising family Christmas card in December 2015 in which she and her family — including a small child — are all holding firearms.

Michele Fiore’s 2015 Christmas Card (Facebook).

The post ‘Lady Trump’ judge suspended with pay following indictment for allegedly defrauding slain officer charity first appeared on Law & Crime .