LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Former Pahrump Justice of the Peace Michele Fiore has requested a new trial after a jury found her guilty of running a charity scheme.
Fiore was suspended from her judicial position without pay in October after a jury convicted her of wire fraud for pocketing $70,000 in donations meant for a memorial to honor fallen police officers.
She instead used the money to pay for personal expenses including her daughter’s wedding, according to the indictment.
The new filing alleges that Fiore was denied a fair trial due to a “culmination of errors,” including witnesses without “personal knowledge” of the campaign, incorrect jury instructions, and the failures of her attorney.
Witnesses mentioned in the filing include Fiore’s daughter, Sheena Siegel, and Nicole Beck, the widow of fallen Officer Alyn Beck.
Fiore argued that Siegel’s time on the witness stand was prejudicial, due to a previously established immunity agreement that protected her daughter. While being cross-examined by prosecutors, Fiore’s daughter would testify that signatures on fundraising checks “could have been her mother’s signature, or it could have been hers.”
“Are you admitting to a federal crime here in court today?” Prosecutors asked. After a court sidebar, Siegel was allowed to seek legal guidance.
The following day, Siegel would plead the fifth on further questions about the signatures. She would later be cross-examined outside of the presence of a jury, which would later be stricken from the court record.
The lawsuit highlights that state prosecutors still included Siegel in their closing arguments.
Beck’s time on the stand was also described as prejudicial in the filing, due to the emotional nature of her testimony. The lawsuit added that the state “had witnesses who could testify to the purpose of the statue in question without evoking the predictable emotional response of a widow.”
The filing also states that Fiore’s own attorney made multiple mistakes during the trial, including a failure to file pretrial motions in a timely manner, and failures to find issues in the trial that could have supported a motion to dismiss.
Fiore’s sentencing is set for March.
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