Judicial discipline hearing for Michele Fiore ends without decision on suspension

A hearing to discuss whether Michele Fiore should continue to be suspended from her position as a Pahrump judge after her presidential pardon ended without a decision Friday.

Fiore, a former Las Vegas councilwoman and assemblywoman, was found guilty of conspiracy and wire fraud charges by a federal jury in October and was granted a full and unconditional pardon by President Donald Trump on April 23, before she could be sentenced.

Federal prosecutors said she raised tens of thousands of dollars for a statue honoring Metropolitan Police Department officer Alyn Beck, who was shot and killed with his partner in 2014.

The statue was built, but it was paid for by developer Olympia Companies, according to trial testimony. Prosecutors said Fiore spent the donations on such personal expenses as rent, plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.

The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline suspended Fiore from her job as a Pahrump justice of the peace after she was indicted and filed a notice May 2 that it intended to consider continuing to suspend Fiore even if it found the prior suspension was no longer merited in light of the pardon.

“To the extent that any additional suspension continues, I submit that it would exceed this commission’s jurisdiction and would be an abuse of discretion,” defense attorney Paola Armeni said.

Commission members had no questions for Armeni on Friday and went into a closed session to consider Fiore’s case after Armeni made her statement.

Prominent support

Fiore has been supported by respected community leaders, including former Las Vegas Councilman Bob Coffin, former Las Vegas mayor Jan Jones Blackhurst, Clark County Commission Chairman Tick Segerblom and former Las Vegas Councilman Ricki Barlow, according to Armeni.

Segerblom said in a phone interview that he supports Fiore “in a sense.” He wrote a letter to the judge who was going to sentence her, he said, stating that he found her truthful and helpful when she served in the Legislature.

“As a human being, we all make mistakes,” he said. “That should be taken into consideration and people can be rehabilitated.”

But he said he could not comment on whether she should be suspended as a judge. “Obviously, it was inappropriate and illegal,” he said of her conduct with the Beck statue.

Coffin said he did not agree with what Fiore did, but considers her a friend. He described her as “a dedicated public servant who has consistently stepped up to defend and support those in need” in a character letter on her behalf in the federal case.

The commission “should just let her go back to serving,” he said.

Barlow was not immediately available for comment. He also ran afoul of federal wire fraud laws and was sentenced to prison in 2018 for misusing campaign funds. Blackhurst could not be reached for comment.

Conduct prior to being judge

Armeni argued the judicial discipline body cannot police allegations of misconduct from before someone becomes a judge.

The federal case was based on actions Fiore took as a councilwoman. The commission has said if it finds the pardon voids its prior suspension, it will decide whether the underlying allegations against Fiore make her “a substantial threat of serious harm to the public or to the administration of justice.”

Fiore’s attorney told the commission her client is not a danger to the community.

“There is nothing before this commission about her conduct as a judge. Nothing,” Armeni said. “And to allow the commission to go back almost five years later and look at her actions five years later when she was not subject to judicial canons, she was not sitting on the bench, is dangerous.”

She added: “If that’s the precedent that this commission takes, that should put every sitting judge in a position that they are terrified.”

Armeni also said a full pardon “releases the punishment and blots out the existence of guilt,” quoting an 1866 U.S. Supreme Court decision.

The hearing was conducted over videoconferencing. Fiore did not speak, but sat behind Armeni, listening.

“I deeply respect the process and appreciate the opportunity to be heard,” Fiore said in a text message afterward. “My attorney, Paola Armeni, presented our position with clarity, integrity, and legal brilliance. At this time, I will respectfully wait for the Judicial Commission to issue its decision and remain hopeful for a fair and just outcome.”

Fiore previously said God wanted her back on the bench.

“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.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.