LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Former Las Vegas City Councilwoman and Nye County Judge Michele Fiore's suspension from the bench is being extended.
On Wednesday, the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline filed a new order to "rescind and reinstate" her suspension.
What does that mean?
She was originally suspended by the same group in October.
According to state law, the commission can review suspensions every 60 days. If the same circumstances exist, the commission can reinstate the suspension.
State law also says that suspended judges can file appeals to the Nevada Supreme Court. Fiore has previously told Channel 13 that she plans to do so.
Back in October, a federal jury found Fiore guilty on six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Each count carries a potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
Fiore was accused of using money from charitable and political causes into accounts for her own person use and spent it on things like living expenses, plastic surgery, and to pay for her daughter's wedding.
Fiore was originally scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2025.
However, her counsel during the trial, attorney Michael Sanft, withdrew from the case.
Fiore's new attorney, Paola Armeni, filed a motion to delay the sentencing hearing earlier this month. The sentencing hearing has been pushed back to March 10, 2025.
According to the motion, Armeni stated she hasn't been given all of the trial transcripts and since evidence in this case is "voluminous", her team needed more time to go through everything.
"Counsel was not trial counsel and therefore is unable to ascertain any issues for post-trial motions and mitigating factors for sentencing without a thorough review of the discovery and more importantly the trial transcripts," the document reads in part.
Federal prosecutors Alexander Gottfried and Dahoud Askar responded to that motion saying they didn't have any issues with extending the post-trial motions deadline, to an extent.
"There were 67 days between when trial counsel entered his appearance in this case on July 19 and when trial began on September 24. During this time, he was able to review the 'voluminous' discovery provided by the government, conduct his own investigation into the facts, and prepare a constitutionally effective defense," Gottfried and Askar's motion reads in part. "There will also be 67 days from when current counsel was appointed on October 9 and the current post-trial motions deadline on December 16. There will be 151 days — five months — between when current counsel was appointed and the current sentencing date on March 10, 2025. That is more than enough time for counsel to prepare an effective sentencing argument."
They also argued that Fiore was purposefully trying to put off proceedings.
However, Armeni responded, saying that's not true.
"The Government argues that Ms. Fiore repeatedly sought to delay her sentencing and cannot use her change of counsel to indefinitely delay her sentencing. That argument is nonsensical," Armeni's response reads in part. "Nobody is seeking an indefinite delay of sentencing. The request is being made that Ms. Fiore be allowed sufficient time to prepare for sentencing and post-trial motions, which based on the current deadlines she cannot."
Armeni also claimed the government is "somewhat confused on the timeline of events" and that their requests "mirrors the Court's calendering of events."
According to court records, the prosecution agreed to a 30-day extension while the defense requested a 90-day extension.
Ultimately, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey met them in the middle and agreed to a 60-day extension.
"The entire history of this case is little more than 60-days long as Fiore exercised her right to a speedy trial and this case was tried on its original trial setting," Dorsey writes in her decision. "While the court recognizes that the transcripts are necessary for preparation, they are only a fraction of the overall picture, which includes defense counsel's file and this court's docket — both of which are readily available now."
As of Friday, the current sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 10 at 10 a.m.
