Michele Fiore, a Republican judge and former Las Vegas City Council member, was convicted in the fall of 2024 of defrauding people who gave money for a memorial statue honoring two fallen police officers, according to MS NOW. Prosecutors called the case one of the most brazen frauds they had ever seen. Jurors reached a guilty verdict in less than two hours.
The donated money apparently did not go to the statue; it went to plastic surgery, rent, and her daughter’s wedding. Jon Ralston, editor of The Nevada Independent, which followed the case closely, said many people contributed, including the governor. “A lot of people donated money, including the governor,” Ralston said. “The evidence at the trial was overwhelming that the money she raised never went to the statue.”
