Indicted MAGA judge hit with damning testimony from Nevada's GOP governor
Nevada's Republican governor testified in the federal wire fraud case against now-suspended MAGA judge Michele Fiore.
The right-wing Fiore is accused of soliciting donations for a memorial statue of slain Las Vegas Metro police officer Alyn Beck and then using the money for her own personal expenses, and Gov. Joe Lombardo testified that his re-election campaign for sheriff had contributed $5,000 for the memorial in 2019, reported the Las Vegas Journal-Review.
“Are you looking for help?” said Fiore’s attorney Michael Sanft when the governor looked toward federal prosecutors during his testimony.
“Yeah, I’m looking for help,” Lombardo said. “I’m failing to understand why I’m being asked these questions when I’m a victim and a witness.”
The defense attorney questioned Lombardo, who was Clark County assistant sheriff when Beck and fellow officer Igor Soldo were ambushed and killed by a couple of anti-government extremists, about his decisions to donate to political campaigns and was asked for clarity about how he used money left over from his campaigns for Clark County sheriff during his campaign for governor, which is allowed under state law.
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FBI forensic accountant Sandra Harris testified that one day after Fiore received the donation from “Lombardo for Sheriff," a $5,000 check was deposited to an account accessible by her daughter, who then withdrew funds to purchase money orders that were used to pay rent for her mother's home.
Harris then testified that similar transactions were made after Fiore received donations to pay for rent, wedding expenses for her other daughter and additional personal expenses, and the agent said Fiore often did not have enough money in her personal account to cover the various costs she tracked during her investigation.
Sculptor Brian Hanlon previously testified that he never received payments for his work from Fiore, and he said the statue was instead paid for by Olympia Companies, which developed a park where it would be displayed as part of a planned residential community.
Fiore is a former state legislator and Las Vegas mayor pro tem who was appointed two years ago to the Pahrump Justice Court by Nye County commissioners despite not have a law degree.
She first gained national attention for her outspoken support for rancher Cliven Bundy during an armed standoff against federal agents in 2014, which Jared and Amanda Miller – who killed Beck and Soldo – briefly joined before they were told to leave due to their "radical" views and illegal possession of a firearm.
Fiore later played an active role in winding down another armed standoff involving Ammon Bundy and others at Malheur, Oregon, in 2016.