Fiore loses Pahrump race, remains on Nye County payroll

Michele Fiore’s defeat in the Pahrump Justice of the Peace, Department B race did not end her county paycheck. Nye County says the suspended judge has remained on salary and benefits because the commission order keeping her off the bench with pay is still in place, and the county will continue paying her until the end of her term unless instructed otherwise.

Fiore finished third in the June primary, with Nevada Secretary of State results showing Michael Foley at 42.2 percent, Scott Oakley at 26 percent, Fiore at 23 percent and Richard Hamilton at 9.3 percent. She needed more than 50 percent to win outright and had to place in the top two to reach the November runoff, so her campaign ended with the primary count.

The money has been flowing since July 2024. Nye County Public Communications Manager Arnold Knightly said Fiore has received about $194,000 in salary and benefits since she was suspended that month. The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline records show the first order suspending her from the exercise of judicial office with salary was entered July 24, 2024, and the commission later kept the matter active through 2025 and 2026.

That disciplinary case has only grown more serious. The commission issued a formal statement of charges on April 24, 2026, and in May filed three judicial-code charges, saying Fiore’s conduct raised concerns that public trust in her ability to serve as a judge had been damaged. Her suspension stayed in place while the inquiry continued, even after President Donald Trump pardoned her on April 23, 2025, following her federal conviction for wire fraud and conspiracy.

Federal prosecutors said the fundraising at the center of that case involved donations for a memorial statue honoring Metropolitan Police Department officer Alyn Beck, who was killed in 2014, and that the money was instead used for personal expenses including plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding. The case has made Fiore one of the most closely watched local officials in Nevada, where questions about judicial discipline, public payroll and election legitimacy now overlap.

During Fiore’s suspension, Michael Foley served as pro tem justice of the peace, keeping the Pahrump courtroom functioning while the race unfolded and ballots were still being counted. Nye County was processing about 1,801 mail ballots and roughly 1,200 drop-box votes during the tally, underscoring how closely watched the contest remained even as Fiore’s paid suspension continued.