Fiore (R) pleads not guilty to new fraud charges; Seaman also among alleged victims

New details emerged Monday surrounding the federal fraud indictment of former Las Vegas City Councilwoman Michele Fiore, who pleaded not guilty to two additional charges of allegedly steering donations intended for a fallen officer’s memorial for personal gain.

Court documents released Monday indicate that Las Vegas Councilwoman (and current mayoral candidate) Victoria Seaman was among those allegedly defrauded by Fiore, and that the unindicted co-conspirator whose identity was left out of the original indictment was Fiore’s daughter. Seaman declined to comment.

Fiore declined to be interviewed following the arraignment at a federal courthouse in Las Vegas, but her lawyer, Michael Sanft, told The Nevada Independent that the defense has all the evidence to prove that the charges against Fiore are motivated by “political persecution” (an argument federal prosecutors are trying to prohibit). He suggested that the defense, which has 14 witnesses against the prosecution’s 61 witnesses, has struggled to track down witnesses due to FBI protection, and he also downplayed the two additional charges filed against Fiore, both of which were related to $5,000 donations.

The new details provide additional political context of Fiore’s alleged effort to defraud donors, with Seaman joining Gov. Joe Lombardo as prominent Nevada officials who were alleged victims in the scheme. Fiore’s trial is scheduled to begin later this month, and a pretrial conference is scheduled for next week. The Republican former state lawmaker was suspended with pay from her role as a Nye County justice of the peace after the charges were filed.



https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/fiore-pleads-not-guilty-to-new-fraud-charges-seaman-also-among-alleged-victims