LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – A jury found former Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore guilty Thursday of all charges in her federal fraud trial.

The Nye County judge was found guilty of six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She had pleaded not guilty.

Jurors in the federal fraud trial heard closing arguments Thursday morning before beginning their deliberations at 12:45 p.m.

Fiore is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6 at 1:30 p.m. Each count carries a possible prison sentence of up to 20 years.

Judge Jennifer Dorsey began the proceedings Thursday by denying a motion by Fiore’s defense that would have acquitted Fiore of five of the seven charges. She stated that the government had sufficient evidence to support the presentation of these charges for the jury to consider.

Background

Prosecutors allege Fiore diverted money from charitable and political causes into accounts for her own personal use, spending it on items such as living expenses, plastic surgery and to pay for her daughter’s wedding.

Much of the state’s argument included Fiore’s request for donations for a memorial statue honoring fallen Las Vegas police officer Alyn Beck. Prosecutors say the statue has already been paid for with money the city set aside for Alyn Beck Memorial Park.

Closing arguments: prosecution

Federal prosecutor Alexander Gottfried focused his closing arguments on three questions.

1. Did the suspect make false promises?
2. Have these promises prompted donors to part with their money?
3. Did the suspect intend to deceive them?

According to Gottfried, Fiore lied to donors by sending them flyers and emails and having conversations about how the money would be used.
For example, prosecutors showed the jury an invitation letter from October 2019, which a donor testified prompted her to give money to the cause. Prosecutors also pointed out that the address on the flyer, where donors could send money, was Fiore’s home address. One of the flyers shown in court was said to have been sent four days after the dedication of the Alyn Beck statue.

Reviewing a sample of bank records, Gottfried also stated that Fiore’s daughter, Sheena Siegel, and her daughter’s company, Hamlet Events, were the largest recipients of donor funds.

He also pointed out that money was leaving Fiore-related accounts as quickly as it was coming in, and that little or no money was being saved to possibly pay for the statue. For example, on January 16, a check from Fiore’s A Bright Present Foundation for $2,500 was cashed. On the same day, $2,450 in money orders were sent to Fiore’s landlord.

“If she thought she was raising money for the statue, why isn’t she saving to pay for the statue?” Gottfried said. “She knew early on that someone else would cover some or all of the costs, so she never had to worry about this happening.”

He said an August 2019 contract showed Olympia Companies would pay 100% of the costs associated with the statue. At one point, the city of Las Vegas had offered to pay half and Gottfried claims Fiore was at those meetings and knew about the statue’s financing.

“When politicians do something that they think will look good, they will do something to trumpet it from the rooftops. They want to take credit and make people think they are doing a good deed,” Gottfried said.

Closing arguments: defense

Fiore’s attorney, Michael Sanft, brought up the FBI’s search of Fiore’s home, saying the government conducted an improper search, which led them to find evidence like the invitation letter.

“This is our premier law enforcement agency. Even they can make a mistake. Even they can be sloppy,” Sanft told the jury.

Sanft also pointed out that when law enforcement officers are given permission to search someone’s home, they rarely come back with nothing and hope they find something that corroborates what they told a judge. He added that the jury will have to rely on the FBI’s word as to the contents of anything they took during the search.

When it comes to Olympia’s contract over the statue, Sanft argued that multiple people were involved in the decision, for example Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman. Sanft said there should be some sort of paper trail showing discussions about the statue, but he says none has been presented during this process.

Sanft brought up Governor Joe Lombardo’s testimony. He used the example that when Lombardo decided to run for governor, he took unused funds and donations from his sheriff’s campaign for his gubernatorial campaign. He said this was essentially the same thing Fiore did.

He also mentioned that Lombardo stated he was a victim. However, Sanft said the money used to donate for the statue was not his and came from the Lombardo For Sheriff campaign, which included donor money.

“He donated other people’s money,” Sanft said. “If it was really something personal, he would have taken his own wallet and put that money in that statue, and not the donors’ money in that statue. He is not a victim.”

However, prosecutors disagreed with that statement.

“There is a big difference between taking leftover political money and using it for a good cause, and taking money from a good cause and using it for plastic surgery,” Gottfried said during his remarks.

They also disagreed with Sanft’s statement that the FBI had improperly searched the home. Prosecutor Dahoud Askar said there is no evidence that anything other than proper procedure was followed.