The Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline on Monday imposed an interim suspension with pay against Michele Fiore, meaning she will not immediately return to her role as a justice of the peace in Pahrump despite receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump.

The commission — a seven-member panel appointed by the governor, Nevada Supreme Court and State Bar of Nevada — said in a unanimous ruling that additional complaints had been levied against Fiore, which the group will address at a later date to determine if the suspension will be lifted. The ruling did not elaborate on what these complaints entailed, but that there were emails submitted that questioned Fiore’s “honesty and her ability to perform the duties of a justice of the peace.”

“[H]er return to full judicial duties pending the disposition of additional complaints poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the public and to the administration of justice,” the ruling said.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Fiore said that the ruling “reflects a lack of integrity” and “is based on unverified public perception.”

“Selectively presenting only adverse commentary from the public while withholding favorable feedback is not just misleading, it further underscores their bias, abandonment of fairness and abuse of their authority,” her post said. “This is not oversight. This is retaliation.”

Trump pardoned Fiore last month before she was set to be sentenced on six counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for her role in using donations intended for a fallen police officer’s statue for personal use. The commission said that the pardon warranted a repeal of Fiore’s suspension without pay, which has been in place since her October conviction.

The decision marks a setback for the firebrand conservative, who was previously a state assemblymember and Las Vegas councilwoman. After the pardon, she said in a Facebook post that she would be returning to her elected position as a Nye County Justice of the Peace days later “not because man permitted it, but because God ordained it.”

During a hearing earlier this month, Armeni said that a suspension would be “an abuse of discretion,” citing that her pardon should cover all potential punishment. She also said a prior commission ruling determined it does not have jurisdiction over conduct when the defendant was not a judge (Fiore was a city councilwoman at the time of the conduct at the center of the case).

“There is nothing before this commission about her conduct as a judge,” Armeni said. “It’s dangerous precedent, and it circumvents not only the presidential pardon, but the use of this conduct that’s not related to her being a judge at all.”

However, the commission was unconvinced, ruling that Fiore had not alleviated the wrongs raised in her conviction.

“[Fiore] continued to defraud the donors by keeping donations to which she was not entitled and continued to fail to notify them she used their funds for personal expenses instead of for the statue,” the ruling said.

Armeni also argued that Fiore does not represent a “substantial threat to serious harm,” saying that she was not detained following her conviction and has the continued support from ex-Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones Blackhurst, current Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom and former Las Vegas City Councilwoman Ricki Barlow, who was convicted of wire fraud for orchestrating an effort to steal thousands of dollars for a re-election campaign.

In addition, Armeni said Fiore has engaged in significant community advocacy work, such as back to school drives and handwritten thank you notes to firefighters, and argued that letters in opposition of Fiore’s reinstatement were politically motivated.

“I would submit to the commission that a fourth of her service to the community is more than most people will ever do in their lifetime,” Armeni said. 

Letters in support and opposition of Fiore were confidential, the commission said.

The case related to the construction of a statue honoring Alyn Beck, a Las Vegas police officer killed in the line of duty in 2014. Prosecutors alleged that Fiore — while serving as a Las Vegas councilwoman — solicited donations to her PAC and nonprofit for the construction of the statue but instead used the money for personal use, including for rent and plastic surgery.

Dozens of witnesses testified during the trial, including Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, who said that Fiore had sought donations for the statue while he was Clark County sheriff. His campaign account sent a $5,000 check to Fiore’s PAC, and an FBI agent testified that shortly after, $5,000 was transferred to Fiore’s daughter’s account to purchase a money order covering Fiore’s rent.

Fiore first entered the Nevada political world in 2012 by winning her race for state Assembly. She lost leadership positions before the 2015 session amid controversy regarding more than $1 million in tax liens. In 2016, she ran for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, finishing third in the GOP primary. 

A year later, she won her race to represent Ward 6 on the Las Vegas City Council, eventually becoming the city’s mayor pro tempore, a position she held until her 2020 resignation. Her resignation came after she allegedly said, “If there’s a job opening and my white ass is more qualified than somebody’s Black ass, then my white ass should get the job,” though Fiore denied that being the reason for her resignation.

She was also sued by fellow City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, who alleged Fiore created a hostile workplace and physically attacked her. Seaman was among the victims in the federal fraud case, though she did not testify.

Fiore narrowly lost a bid for state treasurer in 2022 — during which she appeared in a campaign ad shooting beer bottles labeled “vaccine mandate” and “CRT” (critical race theory). Fiore said she didn’t mind people bringing guns into courtrooms because “an armed society is a polite society.”

Updated on 5/20/25 at 2:22 p.m. to include Fiore's post.