Nevada judicial panel suspends pardoned judge with pay after fraud case

Michele Fiore, a Pahrump judge who ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2022, speaks to reporters outside U.S. District Court in Las Vegas on Friday, July 19, 2024, after pleading not guilty to federal fraud and conspiracy charges. Her attorney, Michael Sanft, watches at left. Photo by: Ken Ritter / AP

The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline has suspended Justice of the Peace Michele Fiore with salary, replacing an earlier suspension without pay that followed her conviction on federal fraud charges.

The commission’s unanimous decision, dated Monday, comes less than a month after President Donald Trump pardoned Fiore, who was convicted in October 2024 of wire fraud for misusing charitable donations intended for a fallen Metro Police officer’s memorial statue.

According to the commission’s order filed with the Nevada Supreme Court, the seven-member panel determined that Fiore’s conviction-related suspension without pay was no longer warranted in the wake of the presidential pardon. However, it found that her return to judicial office would pose “a substantial threat of serious harm to the public and to the administration of justice.”

“A pardon may close a criminal case related to an ethical complaint against the judge, but it does not preclude the commission from considering a judge’s ongoing conduct as it may relate to the conviction,” the commission wrote in its seven-page decision.

The panel cited Fiore’s “continuing deceit of charitable donors” and “unjust enrichment at the expense of the slain police officer statue” as factors harming public perception of the judicial system.

The decision represents a partial victory for Fiore, who will now receive her judicial salary of approximately $85,000 annually while remaining barred from performing any judicial duties in Pahrump Township Justice Court.

Fiore was represented by attorney Paola Armeni during the commission’s hearing, according to court documents. Armeni has previously defended her client’s right to return to the bench following the pardon.

The legal battle stems from Fiore’s federal conviction last year on seven counts related to her fundraising activities while serving as a Las Vegas city councilwoman. Federal prosecutors successfully argued that she had solicited more than $70,000 in charitable donations for a statue memorializing slain Las Vegas Metro Officer Alyn Beck but used the funds for personal expenses including rent, plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.

On April 23, Trump issued what the White House called “a full and unconditional pardon” to Fiore, weeks before her scheduled May 14 sentencing, where she faced up to 140 years in prison.

Fiore, a firebrand conservative politician who previously served in the Nevada Assembly, had predicted a swift return to the bench after her pardon.

“On Monday, I will walk back into my courtroom as the elected justice of the peace — not because man permitted it, but because God ordained it,” she wrote in a statement after Trump’s pardon.

Instead, the judicial commission acted quickly to maintain her suspension, noting that Nevada law permits suspending judges with salary pending disposition of ethics complaints if they pose a substantial threat to judicial integrity.

The commission’s order noted that new complaints against Fiore have emerged since her pardon. These complaints will proceed separately under case number 2025-108.

Paul Deyhle, general counsel and executive director of the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline, signed the certification of the order dated May 19.

The case now hinges on whether the separate ethics complaints against Fiore will be sustained, which could potentially lead to her permanent removal from judicial office despite the presidential pardon.

Michael Foley has been serving as interim justice of peace since Fiore’s suspension, according to the commission’s documents.