Laborers Local 872, the union that represents Las Vegas construction workers, was among the donors allegedly defrauded by former Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore, who is facing federal charges of using donations intended for a fallen police officer’s memorial for her own personal use.
An updated indictment filed Tuesday in federal court alleges that Fiore, now a judge in Nye County, defrauded an additional two donors who gave money to her PAC to help build a memorial in honor of Alyn Beck, a Las Vegas police officer killed in the line of duty in 2014. The indictment refers to these donors as a “union” and “trust” whose donations were redirected to repay another donor whom Fiore allegedly defrauded, but doesn’t identify them. Both of these groups are affiliated with Laborers Local 872, according to campaign finance records that correspond with the dates listed in the indictment.
The union’s connection to this case, which has not been previously reported, adds another element to Fiore’s alleged scheme to defraud donors less than one month before her trial is set to begin in federal court. The Nevada Independent previously reported that Gov. Joe Lombardo, who was Clark County sheriff at the time, was among the donors allegedly defrauded by Fiore.
With these new charges added, Fiore now faces six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud based on allegations that she defrauded donors of more than $70,000 to pay her rent, a political fundraising company and expenses related to her daughter’s wedding. She pleaded not guilty to the initial four counts and has since been suspended from her position as a Nye County justice of the peace.
Fiore declined to comment. Representatives of the union and trust did not respond to a request for comment.
Donation details
On Feb. 7, 2020, Fiore’s PAC reported receiving two $5,000 donations, one from Laborers Local 872 and the other from LECET of Southern Nevada, which is a trust linked to the union. The new indictment alleged that representatives from a union and trust — referred to in the document as “Donor E” and “Donor F” — each made $5,000 contributions to Fiore’s PAC on Feb. 3, 2020, and Feb. 6, 2020. Fiore’s PAC did not report receiving any other donations of that size in February 2020.
The union has financially backed Fiore since 2016 and endorsed her in a 2016 run for Congress and her 2017 bid for city council. Fiore also waived about $2,000 in permit fees for the wedding of union leader Tommy White’s daughter at Floyd Lamb Park in 2019, later prompting a lawsuit.
These donations followed an email from Fiore in early February soliciting donations to her PAC for a statue in honor of Beck (that had already been unveiled) and pledging that “100% of all contributions are used for this charitable event,” the indictment said. Fiore redirected these donations to repay another donor “from whom she had fraudulently solicited donations,” prosecutors alleged.
The union and trust were not included in the original indictment issued last month, which accused Fiore of defrauding four donors: a public official (later identified as Lombardo), two attorneys in Nevada and an out-of-state resident.
The attorneys and out-of-state resident allegedly made contributions to “Charity A,” a nonprofit formed in 2019 by Fiore and an unidentified co-conspirator that The Nevada Independent identified as A Bright Present Foundation. The nonprofit never filed federal tax returns, causing its tax-exempt status to be revoked. State business records also show that the nonprofit was voluntarily dissolved in 2021.
In a letter in October 2019, Fiore had asked donors to contribute to the nonprofit, with the hopes of raising $80,000 for the Beck statue and another $80,000 for a statue honoring Igor Soldo, another officer killed in the line of duty alongside Beck. She promised that all contributions would be “used for this charitable event.”
At the time of the letter, a third-party company had already paid to cover the costs of the statue, a fact that prosecutors said Fiore was aware of because she was a city councilwoman.
No stranger to headlines
A firebrand conservative who served two terms in the state Assembly before being elected to the Las Vegas City Council in 2017, she made national news for her zealous support of firearm rights (she once sold a gun-themed calendar) and championing the cause of anti-government rancher Cliven Bundy.
In 2014, she was removed as the Republican majority leader in the Assembly for insubordination and her handling of a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service regarding unpaid payroll taxes for her home health care business. Las Vegas City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman also sued Fiore for allegedly creating a hostile workplace and physically attacking her.
During her 2022 bid for state treasurer, Fiore faced allegations of violating campaign finance law for taking donations exceeding the state’s $10,000 maximum contribution limit and benefiting from a potential “straw donor scheme.”
Her PAC also gave more than $150,000 to her daughter’s event planning company from 2018 to 2020.
