Ex-Las Vegas councilwoman spent police memorial money on personal, political expenses

Oct. 4 (UPI) -- A former City of Las Vegas councilwoman has been convicted of federal fraud charges for misusing tens of thousands of dollars in donated money earmarked to build memorials for fallen police officers.

A federal jury earlier in the week convicted Michele fiore of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud for executing a scheme to defraud charitable donors, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Fiore collected over $70,000 solicited from donors while serving as councilwoman, promising "100% of the contributions" would be spent on constructing the police memorials for officers killed in the line of duty, according to the Justice Department.

The 54-year-old instead spent the money entirely on personal and political expenses, "including political fundraising bills, personal rent payments, and payments to family members."

A federal district court judge is scheduled to sentence her next January. Fiore faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count.

Fiore's lawyer Michael Sanft told reporters outside the courthouse Thursday he expects to file an appeal of the convictions.

Fiore represented Ward 6 in Las Vegas as a councilor from 2017 until 2022. She also served as the city's Mayor pro tempore between 2019 and 2022, after spending 2012 until 2016 as a Nevada state legislator.

The Republican also launched an unsuccessful bid for the Nevada governor's office in 2021.

Fiore was first indicted in July and had been serving as a Justice of the Peace in Pahrump, a rural town of 44,000 people in Nye County, Nev.