LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — New details in federal court records show Judge Michele Fiore's alleged fraud could be far more widespread than originally disclosed.
Fiore was suspended from the bench in July after being indicted on federal charges.
She has pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy for allegedly defrauding donors and stealing money she raised for a fallen police officer's memorial.
Fiore again pleaded not guilty on Monday to the two new fraud charges federal prosecutors added to her case, bringing the total to seven.
The government says many years of misappropriated money have enabled Fiore to live beyond her means, using donor money to pay for rent, plastic surgery, vacations, and her daughter’s wedding.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Officer Alyn Beck lost his life in 2014 when he and his partner, Igor Soldo, were ambushed and shot to death by a radicalized couple while the officers were eating lunch at Cici's Pizza.
Beck's image cast in bronze now watches over the park that bears his name near Fort Apache and Iron Mountain roads. It's a place of peace that stands in stark contrast to the underlying scam federal prosecutors say was carried out by former Las Vegas City Councilwoman turned Nye County Justice of the Peace Michele Fiore.
"These allegations are repugnant," Fiore said outside the federal courthouse in July, denying any wrongdoing after pleading not guilty.
But prosecutors say she "used the tragedy of Officer Beck’s murder for her own profit," calling it a "particularly brazen example" of her "pattern of fraud."
Court records filed in August say the government has new evidence that will show Fiore secretly diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars from her City Council campaign, political action committee and her now-dissolved charity, defrauding donors like then-Sheriff, now-Governor Joe Lombardo.
Records claim Fiore lied on campaign finance reports to cover up stolen funds she laundered through a political consulting company, a magazine company and a relative's event planning company.
"I have served as a city councilwoman and a judge with integrity, honor and respect," Fiore said in July. "This indictment is a direct attack on my character."
WATCH: Michele Fiore addresses fraud allegations in July
Fiore's attorneys want the new charges thrown out, claiming they are irrelevant and were filed too late. They're asking the court to exclude financial transactions from before the construction of the park and statue to honor Officer Beck, which forms the basis for the original five charges.
Following her husband’s death, Nicole Beck worked closely with then-Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross to memorialize her husband by persuading the council to name a new park after him in 2015.
"If I can keep the tears out of my eyes for a few seconds here, it's important to know that this community loves and respects the men and women who put that uniform on every day," Ross said during a council meeting in August 2015.
As part of an agreement with the City of Las Vegas, Alyn Beck Memorial Park was to be built and paid for by a local real estate developer. The park was to be located in Ward 6, which Ross represented and where the Beck family lived.
Fiore took Ross' council seat when he left in June 2017. She attended a groundbreaking ceremony in December 2018 with other public officials.
"It says a lot about what the community feels about their officers," Nicole Beck told Channel 13 at the groundbreaking.
"And the important piece for me," said then-Sheriff Joe Lombardo, "is to have some sort of remembrance, and this is the opportunity for us to remember Alyn and honor his family."
WATCH: Channel 13 at Alyn Beck Memorial Park Groundbreaking in 2018
Prosecutors say at the ceremony, Fiore gave a speech proposing, for the first time, that the park should include a statue of Alyn Beck.
"Just to give it that extra special touch," Fiore told Channel 13 at the groundbreaking. "And the bronze statue just came to mind."
Court records claim she'd come up with the idea that morning “in the shower.”
Nicole Beck is expected to testify in Fiore's federal trial that she wasn't sure she liked the idea of a statue because she didn't think it would look like her husband, and she worried it would become a target for vandalism by anti-police protesters.
Court records say Nicole Beck had never met Fiore prior to the groundbreaking ceremony, and Fiore never consulted her before publicly proposing the idea of a statue.
"Fiore’s true motive was not to honor Beck’s husband," prosecutors wrote. "It was to find an angle that would help her raise money from sympathetic donors and enrich herself and her family."
Court records say Fiore never told Beck she was fundraising for the statue, indicating, "Fiore knew she was doing something wrong that she wanted to conceal."
In fact, prosecutors say Fiore knew the park and statue were fully paid for by the local real estate developer when she sent a letter soliciting what ended up being more than $70,000 in statue donations.
Court records also say in a January 2020 meeting in her council office prior to the unveiling, "Fiore falsely told the sculptor" she'd gotten city funds to pay for the statue.
Fiore has declined to discuss her defense other than to claim she's been persecuted since supporting the Bundy ranching family in it its infamous standoff over cattle grazing rights on public land in 2014.
"For the past decade, I have faced relentless investigations, continuous attacks, numerous attorneys and countless negative headlines," Fiore said in July.
In documents filed late Tuesday, Michael Sanft — Fiore's attorney — said due to her involvement with the Bundy family, the government has classified Fiore, a public official with no criminal record, as a Level II Domestic Terrorist. A Level II threat is used to describe someone who's anti-government or an anti-authority violent extremist.
Sanft calls that an attempt to gut her defense in the current case.
The government wants the court to exclude any defense argument that she's being selectively or vindictively prosecuted based on her political beliefs or views about federal law enforcement.
Fiore's trial is set to begin Sept. 24.
