A fundraising campaign intended to honour two Las Vegas police officers killed in the line of duty became the centre of a federal fraud case after more than $70,000 raised from donors was spent elsewhere. Michele Fiore, a former Las Vegas city councilwoman who also ran as a Republican candidate for governor of Nevada, was convicted by a federal jury in October 2024. Prosecutors said she had assured contributors that every dollar would go towards building memorials for the fallen officers. Instead, the money went towards expenses unrelated to the project, including personal bills and political costs. The case raised questions about how donations collected in the name of public service were handled.
Fiore assured donors every contribution would fund police memorials
Fiore's fundraising efforts centred on plans to construct statues commemorating two Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers who had died while serving. At the time, she was a member of the Las Vegas City Council and used her public position to solicit contributions for the proposed memorials. The appeal was directed at people willing to support a project honouring officers who had lost their lives in the line of duty. Donors were given assurances that their contributions would be used entirely for the memorial construction. According to evidence presented during the trial, Fiore specifically represented that 100% of the money collected would go towards the statues. According to the US Department of Justice, the promise was an important part of the fundraising appeal. People contributing to the campaign believed they were helping establish permanent tributes to the officers rather than providing financial support for Fiore's personal or political activities. More than $70,000 was eventually collected. However, prosecutors said none of the charitable contributions was used to build the memorials.
Where the donated money went
Federal prosecutors presented evidence that Fiore redirected the contributions towards expenses that had nothing to do with the proposed statues. The spending included political fundraising bills, payments towards her personal rent and money given to members of her family. The case also involved allegations that donations were used to cover expenses connected with her daughter's wedding. Rather than being kept for the memorial project, the money raised from supporters became a source of funding for private and political costs. The distinction between what donors had been told and how the money was actually spent formed the basis of the prosecution's case. The memorials, which had provided the stated reason for the campaign, did not receive any of the money raised.
Federal jury convicts Fiore on seven fraud counts
The case went before a federal jury in the District of Nevada. In October 2024, jurors found Fiore guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud. The verdict followed a trial in which prosecutors relied on court documents and evidence concerning the fundraising campaign and the subsequent use of the contributions. The charges related to the scheme through which donors were persuaded to send money based on representations about the construction of the police memorials. Fiore was 54 at the time of her conviction and was living in Pahrump, Nevada. Before the case, she had served on the Las Vegas City Council and had also pursued a campaign for Nevada governor.
Fiore faces sentencing after conviction on federal counts
The final punishment was to be determined by a federal district court judge, taking into account the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory considerations. Those factors would help establish an appropriate sentence based on the offences and circumstances of the case. The Justice Department announced the conviction on October 4, 2024. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, who headed the department's Criminal Division, and FBI Las Vegas Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans were among the officials who announced the result.
