A former Las Vegas city councilwoman has been convicted for her part in a fraud case that saw charity funds used for personal purposes.
According to the Justice Department, Michele Fiore, the named former state official, was found guilty of a half-dozen felony charges.
These charges related to the illicit use of funds that were intended to erect a statue of service people who had died in the line of fire. Fiore would then use at least $70,000 to pay for personal expenses.
Fiore found guilty of charity fraud
As Due reported in July of this year, Fiore had been charged with participating in a charity fraud scheme that allegedly swindled funds. The statues were meant to honor two fallen Las Vegas police officers and Fiore publicly stated that “100% of the contributions” would be used to honor their sacrifice.
At that time, the former councilwoman was facing up to 20 years in jail for each count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and four counts of wire fraud. The FBI Las Vegas Field Office investigated the case, and Fiore will now be officially sentenced on January 5th, 2025.
It has been found by a federal jury in the District of Nevada that Fiore only used “$70,000 in charitable donations she raised for the memorials. Instead, Fiore spent the money donated by the victims on a variety of personal and political expenses, including political fundraising bills, personal rent payments, and payments to family members.”
This is not the first time Fiore has been involved with fraud or been in the crosshairs of regulators. According to the Nevada Independent, the former councilwoman faced “allegations of violating campaign finance law, accusing her of taking donations exceeding the state’s $10,000 maximum contribution limit and benefiting from a potential straw donor scheme.
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