LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Dave Connors spoke to Channel 13 after serving on the jury panel that found former Las Vegas city councilwoman Michele Fiore guilty of conspiracy and wire fraud on Thursday.
The government said Fiore used money from her political action committee, campaign and a charity meant for the statue of fallen officer Alyn Beck; for her personal use.
On Thursday, a jury panel made up for 3 women and 9 men agreed with the government, finding Fiore guilty on all six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy, after less than two hours of deliberation.
Connors said not everyone agreed in the beginning.
"We did our initial vote and it was not unanimous," said Connors.
At first, Connors said four people voted not guilty, including himself.
"Even though I felt very strongly, I didn't want to just say, okay, yeah, I'm good," said Connors. "I voted not guilty because I wanted to get into some of the nuts and bolts of areas I had concern. For me personally, I had concerns about the government search of the records and the way that was conducted."
But ultimately, Connors said the evidence was clear.
"The prosecution opened up and laid out a very compelling case," said Connors. "I withheld judgment because just from the opening arguments, the defense alludes to what they think their concerns are about the government's case. But I felt that the defense didn't even raise reasonable doubt. It was just preponderance of the evidence. It was pretty straightforward."
Connors said this was a "paper trail case."
"The government did a really excellent job laying out, here's where X amount of dollars was donated from that certain individual," said Connors. "On this day, here's where the money went to this is financial institution. Here's where the financial institution cashed the money and that turned it into cash. Here's where the cash went and purchased money orders."
Testimony of Fiore's daughter
Connors said the testimony of Fiore's daughter, Sheena Siegel, came as a shock.
"All of a sudden as a revelation to come out in open court," said Connors. "When she made that comment, that brought things to a standstill."
While Connors said he was able to easily dismiss Siegel's testimony after Judge Jennifer Dorsey struck it down, he's unsure the impact it had on other jurors.
He did say the jury was thorough and diligent.
"The jury took this very seriously and weighed all the evidence that was presented," said Connors.
Channel 13 previously told you how Fiore's demeanor appeared to change through the course of the trial.
Connors said this was something he noticed as well.
"Initially, especially early in the trial, she was a very upbeat," said Connors. "When everything happened with the testimony that ultimately was discarded, obviously the demeanor was completely, completely changed."
Conviction of an elected official
Fiore has served in various elected roles in the state of Nevada.
The fact that Fiore is now convicted of taking donor funds, especially from a fallen officer memorial statue, is saddening for Connors.
"It's heartbreaking for me to see that somebody would do that to take advantage of the situation," said Connors.
But he said he is also heartbroken that Fiore's service to the community is diminished from this crime.
"I was wanting to give her a fair shake because I knew she did a lot of good things in the past," said Connors. "But if you do that one deed that's beyond what is acceptable, you have to answer for things you do."
