Nevada

Nevada judge used fallen-officer donations to pay for daughter’s wedding, prosecutors say

Published

2 years ago

July 18, 2024

Nevada judge used fallen-officer donations to pay for daughter’s wedding, prosecutors say

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.

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Nevada

5.7 earthquake hits northern Nevada; damage reported

Published

8 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

5.7 earthquake hits northern Nevada; damage reported

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – An earthquake struck in the northern part of Nevada on Monday, causing at least some “light” to “moderate” damage in some of the immediate surrounding areas, according to reports gathered by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck shortly before 6:30 p.m. PST on Monday near Fallon, Nevada, about 12 miles southeast of Silver Springs, the USGS reported.

The area is just 40 miles northeast of the state capital, Carson City, and 400 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

An intensity map made using data gathered by the USGS shows reports of “light” to “moderate” damage observed around the epicenter of a 5.7 magnitude earthquake that struck shortly before 6:30 p.m. on Monday near Fallon, Nevada. (Credit: USGS)

Data gathered by the USGS shows reports of “light” to “moderate” damage observed around the epicenter of a 5.7 magnitude quake, along with “strong” to “very strong” shaking. The jolts were enough to shatter glass and scatter products along the floor of a grocery store in the town of Fallon, as seen in images shared with the Associated Press.

Fallon Nevada Earthquake aftermath — Items are scattered across grocery store aisle floors in Fallon, Nevada. on Monday, April 13, 2026 after a magnitude-5.7 earthquake. (Kaitlin Ritchie via AP)

Trina Enloe told the news agency that she was sitting with one of her daughters as she did homework in their dining room when the quake hit.

“You could hear the rumbling just coming before it even got to us,” Enloe said. The shaking continued for about a minute, she added, during which some cast-iron candle holders were knocked over. Enloe didn’t see any cracks or damage in her home, though.

Those in Nevada with similar experiences are advised to contribute a report through the USGS’s “Felt Report” platform.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Nevada

Earthquake rattles northern Nevada

Published

20 hours ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) – An earthquake was felt across northern Nevada Monday night. The United State Geological Survey reports the magnitude at 5.5. It was centered about 12 miles southeast of Silver Springs. Several aftershocks were reported in the area, the largest measuring at magnitude-3.6.

People reported feeling the quake across northern Nevada and into California.

There are no reports of any damage so far.

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Nevada

Nevada Supreme Court upholds Michele Fiore’s interim suspension

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

Nevada Supreme Court upholds Michele Fiore’s interim suspension

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The Nevada Supreme Court has upheld an interim suspension for Pahrump Justice of the Peace Michele Fiore as she faces an investigation into complaints of possible misconduct.

In a unanimous ruling filed Friday, the high court said Fiore’s challenge is moot because the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline is still investigating the complaints against her, and hasn’t imposed any official punishment or filed formal charges.

“We conclude Judge Fiore has not demonstrated the Commission abused its discretion in determining that an interim suspension was warranted,” the ruling states.

The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline suspended Fiore after a jury found her guilty in a 2024 federal trial on six counts of wire fraud and a count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Prosecutors alleged that she solicited donations on the premise that they would go toward statues of two fallen Las Vegas police officers while she was a city councilwoman, but instead used the money on personal expenses, including plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.

Fiore, who denied the allegations, received a pardon from President Donald Trump last year. She filed for re-election in January.

The Judicial Discipline Commission kept her suspension in place with pay, writing that Trump’s pardon did not preclude it “from considering a judge’s ongoing conduct.”

Fiore filed a petition with the high court challenging the commission’s jurisdiction to discipline her for conduct from before she became a justice of the peace, though the commission says it “based the suspension on an allegation that Judge Fiore has engaged in misconduct during her time as a judicial officer,” according to the Supreme Court.

In a statement released Friday, Fiore said she was willing to wait for the commission’s investigation to play out.

“While we are disappointed the Supremes chose not to address those issues now, this is not the end of the fight, it is simply the next step,” Fiore’s statement reads.

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