Controversial Nevada politician Michele Fiore — who some call “Lady Trump” for her outspoken right-wing views and headline-stealing antics, and who was convicted of wire fraud in October last year — has requested a new trial, alleging ineffective legal counsel, and that the testimony of Fiore’s daughter should have been allowed.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Fiore’s wire fraud case hinged on thousands of dollars she raised through a purported charity to build a tribute statue to Las Vegas police officer Alyn Beck, killed alongside another officer in a random attack while on duty in 2014. Instead, Fiore was convicted of using the $70,000 in funds for rent, plastic surgery, and her daughter’s wedding. Fiore is a former Las Vegas city councilwoman, and member of the Nevada assembly.
Fiore’s daughter’s testimony
Michele Fiore, the MAGA Judge, only has 13 more days before she's sentenced! https://t.co/bNx64ahKgC pic.twitter.com/EdGnYGfY77
— Eric Parker (@EricPar33386706) February 24, 2025
At her first trial, Fiore’s daughter, Sheena Siegel, who had been granted immunity, testified she may have illegally signed a check from her mother’s account with money intended for the memorial, but then pleaded the fifth, as she may have perjured herself, because what she said about the checking account contradicted her previous grand jury testimony.
The judge ultimately had Siegel’s testimony thrown out, but according to Dorsey’s retrial motion, Siegel’s “immunity agreement was erroneously withdrawn, forcing her to invoke her Fifth Amendment privilege.” Further Siegel testimony could support Fiore’s innocence, the motion says.
Meanwhile, Michael Sanft, Fiore’s former attorney, was ineffective, the motion states, because he failed to object to testimony from certain witnesses at the first trial, who lacked “requisite personal knowledge.”
The motion explained, “Indeed, several purported donors testified that they had either no direct knowledge of Ms. Fiore and/or that their donations were solicited from someone other than Fiore.”
Just like her namesake, a political career full of controversy
Attorneys for Michele Fiore have filed for a new trial, arguing that the testimony of the former judge and councilwoman’s daughter should not have been excluded.https://t.co/k6GoxfXkKx
— Las Vegas Review-Journal (@reviewjournal) February 11, 2025
As well as Las Vegas City Councilwoman and the Nevada state assembly, Fiore has run for office in Nevada at the state level several times, and lost. She also served for a time as a Republican national committee member. When she was convicted for wire fraud, she was serving a second term as Nye County justice of the peace, an appointed position, according to The Nevada Independent. She was suspended as justice of the peace in July, 2024.
Among other controversies, in 2015, she released a gun-themed calendar supporting the Bundy family at the center of a cattle-grazing standoff with federal authorities that year. After winning her seat on the Vegas city council, she served for a time as mayor pro tempore, but resigned in 2020, amid racially insensitive comments about her qualifications for the job as opposed to those of people of color, leading to an NAACP complaint.
While City Councilwoman, Fiore was also sued by a colleague on the council for creating a hostile work environment and physical assault accusations. In 2022, she ran for state treasurer and narrowly lost when she released a campaign ad featuring Fiore shooting beer bottles labeled “vaccine mandate” and “CRT” (critical race theory).
Fiore and her attorneys submitted their request for a new trial on Mon. March 10, the same day her sentencing was scheduled. Fiore’s new sentencing date is April 14, allowing time for the judge to consider Fiore and her legal team’s request. Her sentencing date could get pushed back again, Courthouse News reported.
Published: Mar 13, 2025 05:17 pm