Nevada
Nevada judge used fallen-officer donations to pay for daughter’s wedding, prosecutors say
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An ex Las Vegas councilwoman, former assembly member and current Nevada judge has been federally charged in connection with an alleged charity fraud scheme in which prosecutors say she pocketed more than $70,000 in donations intended to honor fallen officers.
Michele Fiore, 53, is charged with four counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, The U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday.
According to the indictment handed down on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Fiore, who lives in the town of Pahrump, “solicited donations to build a statue honoring Las Vegas police officers” killed in the line of duty as a then-Las Vegas city councilwoman.
Pahrump is a small town not far from the California state line, at the southernmost tip of Nye County where Fiore is a justice of the peace.
Fiore is “a conservative firebrand and fervent gun-rights advocate who published a calendar of herself pictured with various high-powered firearms”, the Reno Gazette Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network reported. As an assemblywoman in 2015 she introduced a campus carry bill that would have allowed concealed carry permit holders to have guns on college campuses, at K-12 schools and at day care facilities.
Funds raised were to create statue to honor fallen officers
Fiore allegedly promised donors “100% of the contributions” would be used to create the statue, the indictment alleges.
But prosecutors said Fiore did not use the tens of thousands of dollars in charitable donations for the statue of the fallen officer and instead converted the money to her personal use.
“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,” officials wrote in the release.
Federal court papers obtained by USA TODAY show Fiore is represented by Las Vegas-based attorney George P. Kelesis and was slated to enter a plea on the charges Friday.
USA TODAY has reached out to Kelesis.
‘A horrific scene’: Triple decapitation: Man accused of killing parents, family dog in California
Michele Fiore faces up to 20 years in prison on each felony count
The FBI Las Vegas Field Office is investigating the case which remained open Thursday, officials said.
If convicted, she faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on each criminal felony count.
Contributing: Jeffrey Meehan with the Reno Gazette Journal.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
Nevada
Tesla’s robotaxi clears a key hurdle in Nevada
Tesla just got one step closer to deploying its robotaxis commercially in Nevada.
Tesla completed the self-certification process for the robotaxi in Nevada, a DMV representative told Business Insider.
This step means the company can deploy an autonomous car on Nevada roads, but it still needs approval from the Nevada Transportation Authority to operate commercially. The NTA has not responded to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Clearing self-certification in Nevada comes as CEO Elon Musk aims to expand ride-hailing in up to 10 metropolitan areas by the end of the year, with a fleet of more than 1,000 vehicles.
“We expect to be operating in Nevada and Florida and Arizona by the end of the year,” Musk said on an October earnings call.
Tesla’s robotaxis are operating commercially in San Francisco and Austin. The company is hiring in cities such as Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, Tampa, and Orlando, as it ramps up the robotaxi deployment process.
On Monday, Tesla received approval from the Arizona Department of Transportation to operate ride-hailing services in the state. It also submitted a “self-certification” to test its robotaxis in the state with safety drivers, a spokesperson for the department told Business Insider.
Meanwhile, in California, a robotaxi war is breaking out. Uber, Tesla, and Waymo are fighting to shape robotaxi regulations in the state.
Waymo, which operates self-driving taxis in San Francisco and Los Angeles, said in November that companies offering autonomous ride-hailing services should submit quarterly reports about the rides. Tesla opposed this suggestion.
This week, Amazon launched its Zoox robotaxi service in San Francisco, offering select members of the public free rides.
Tesla’s stock price dropped about 2% on Thursday. It’s up more than 15% in the past year.
Nevada
Democrats pass resolution to enshrine universal mail-in ballots into constitution
Nevada
LIVE BLOG: Nevada Legislature expands length of Special Session on Day 7
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The 36th Special Session has officially hit the week-mark on Wednesday morning, and legislators have agreed to extend their time in Carson City to work on additional bills.
Since 1867, this is the first time that lawmakers have independently called to meet on an urgent matter: affordable housing. The petition was signed early Wednesday to have the session address corporations buying up homes in the valley.
And notably, this bill has garnered bipartisan support.
In a release about the expansion, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro shared the following statement:
The focus of the expanded agenda will be the revival of SB391 (now SB10), a measure designed to curb the monopolization of the house market by Wall Street hedge funds and out-of-state corporations.
According to a release, the bill seeks to limit the number of homes corporate entities can purchase annually to reduce artificially inflated home prices and avoid squeezing out homebuyers.
As for other bills, the Senate passed the Governor-backed crime bill (AB4) after midnight Tuesday. After enrollment, it will head to Governor Lombardo’s desk.
Additionally, a new bill was introduced late into the night, which would tackle an extension of AB4: order-out corridors. If passed, Senate Bill 9 would clarify parameters around “ordering out” repeat offenders from the Strip.
Here’s the latest on other bills FOX5 has been tracking:
- Statewide Cybersecurity (AB1) – Headed to Governor’s Desk
- Alcohol Delivery (AB2) – Headed to Governor’s Desk
- Film Bill (AB5) – Waiting in General File for further discussion/vote.
- School Zone Bill (AB6) – Headed to Governor’s Desk
- SNAP funding (SB3) – Headed to Governor’s Desk
- Windsor Park Relocation (SB6) – Headed to Governor’s Desk
FOX5 is giving you real-time updates on what’s happening in Carson City:
10:45 a.m. — Joint meeting of Senate and Assembly Committees on Jobs and Economy convenes to discuss SB10.
9:36 a.m. — Senate goes into recess.
9:05 a.m. — Senate convenes with roll call and a prayer. SB10 is formally introduced and referred to the committee. Some confusion from lawmakers about access to language of the bill, others clarify it should be available shortly.
This is a developing story, check back later for updates.
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
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