Prosecutors say a prominent Honolulu businessman led a massive criminal conspiracy, raised drug money through shell businesses and ordered henchmen to torture and kill his late son's best friend in an elaborate revenge plot. did.
Jury selection in the federal trial of racketeering boss Michael Miske Jr. began Monday. Honolulu Civil Beat reported that several co-defendants and more than 900 witnesses who have entered into plea deals to testify are scheduled to take the stand in Hawaii.
The alleged kingpin faces numerous charges, including murder, kidnapping, assault, extortion, bank fraud, use of chemical weapons, and distribution of cocaine. Potential jurors have already expressed concerns about their safety and that of their families, Honolulu Civil Beat reported.
The 48-year-old is accused of masterminding a criminal operation the indictment calls Miske Enterprises from the late 1990s until his arrest in July 2020 for the kidnapping and murder of 21-year-old Jonathan Fraser. ing.
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Michael Miske Jr. faces charges related to an extensive criminal network in the Honolulu area. That includes murder charges in the death of Jonathan Fraser, his late son's best friend. (Honolulu Police Department)
According to Bloomberg, Mr. Fraser was close friends with Mr. Miske's late son, Caleb Miske. The pair, who loved cars and racing, were involved in a high-speed crash together in November 2015, and the suspect, Kingpin's son, died from his injuries. Although police reports showed Caleb was driving, Miske claimed Fraser was responsible for her only son's death, the newspaper said.
Mr. Miske seemed to be reconsidering his grudge when he moved Mr. Fraser and his girlfriend into a house with his late son's young widow and provided Mr. Miske, 21, with a car to use, according to a Bloomberg report. .
Skyline, Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. (Carol M. Highsmith/Bayenlarge/Getty Images)
However, Fraser's girlfriend reported him missing to Honolulu police on July 30, 2016. According to Bloomberg, Miske made no secret of her grudge against her late son's best friend, and the man's name quickly came up as she began investigating.
From there, a series of suspicions about Mi-sook's criminal activities came into focus.
Law enforcement searched Miske's home in July 2020, but found no evidence of Fraser's whereabouts.
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The body of Jonathan Fraser, pictured, has never been found. His friends and relatives claim Mr. Miske held Mr. Fraser responsible for his son's death in a 2015 car accident. (FBI handout)
Miske and 10 co-defendants were ultimately indicted.
Mr. Miske has owned contracting, automobile and fishing companies since at least the 1990s. Advertisements for his extermination business, Kamaaina Termite & Pest Control, were frequently aired on Oahu. In addition to residential properties, he also owned the glitzy M nightclub, later renamed Encore, according to his latest indictment.
However, pest control offices function as “homes for fraudulent 'employment' of individuals whose 'job' is to engage in criminal activities, laundering of illicit proceeds, and violent fraud on behalf of Miske Enterprises.” , the indictment states. Said.
The men are said to have carried guns and used multiple cell phones, encrypted communication apps and in-person meetings to avoid detection for decades.
A view of the Waikiki district skyline in Honolulu, December 31, 2014. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)
A source familiar with his fishing operations told Bloomberg that Miske's fishing boats, which shuttled between Hawaii and California, never appeared to be carrying much fish, and were not carrying anything other than seafood. I guessed that it was carrying something.
According to the indictment, in July 2014, Miske distributed at least 5 kilograms of cocaine. In 2016, Miske and his company allegedly moved at least 500 grams of methamphetamine. The exact amount of drugs that Miske and his associates allegedly moved is unknown.
According to the indictment, the group also targeted and looted competing drug exchanges in the area, at one point running one dealer off the road and using one crew member's fake badge to arrest another dealer. He allegedly tricked and stole a Walmart bag containing $65,000 worth of methamphetamine. Retrieved from the Hawaii Five-0 set.
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The photo shows the headquarters of Kamaaina Pest Control in Honolulu, which is said to have served as the headquarters for Miske's criminal enterprise. (Google Maps)
Another dealer was ambushed and pistol-whipped by several of Miske's henchmen, leading the man to “.''[go] “I went to Miske's house and complained,” Bloomberg reported.
According to the indictment, the misconduct that prosecutors accuse Miske and his associates of includes cash-based payroll schemes, fraudulent change orders, fake licenses, fraudulent fumigation, bank fraud and even filing false documents. This includes creation, etc.
According to the indictment, when Miske was arrested, dozens of false personality assessments and other informative documents were forged and submitted to the man's attorney to assist in his defense.
Miske's attorney, Lynn E. Panagakos, was not immediately available for comment.
Honolulu, Hawaii is a popular travel destination. (St. Petersburg)
Miske faces murder charges in Fraser's disappearance, but his body has never been found.
James Boling Salas, a young man with ties to several members of the corporation, told FBI agents that he witnessed Frazier's excruciating final moments. Boling Salas said he would distribute drugs on Miske's behalf.
The young informant's grandmother, a former corrections officer, later told the FBI in an interview that her grandson had admitted to participating in the torture and murder of Frazier, which she recorded on video.
Boling-Salas denied any direct involvement, but told investigators that Fraser was tied to a chair with zip ties and duct tape in an apartment used by the organization. The man recalled seeing Fraser's face covered in blood and seeing him being kicked repeatedly in the head.
Aerial photo of Diamond Head Crater on Oahu, Hawaii, seen from an airplane window on February 23, 2022. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)
Boling-Salas told investigators that two of Miske's associates, including the frequently named Lance Bermudez, recorded the torture on a cellphone mounted on a tripod while the young man was being tortured. He is said to have burned his hands and crawled all over his body.
A few days later, the man told investigators he saw a large bone sticking out of a large pot in the apartment's kitchen. Bermudez was allegedly stirring the pot.
Bowling-Salas recalled that there was no odor and that “the water had an orange-red hue.” [Borling-Salas] I've never seen it while cooking… [and] The flesh began to peel away from the bones, according to an affidavit reviewed by Bloomberg.
The sun sets over Waikiki Beach on Oahu, Hawaii, Saturday, June 26, 2021 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
According to a report by Bloomberg, Boling-Salas attempted suicide shortly after the interview, but later recanted the story.
Bermudez was one of several subordinates Miske allegedly hired to commit murders and other criminal activities, and later came to testify against Miske in court. According to Bloomberg, he had a tattoo on his forearm with contact information for an attorney hired to represent Miske and his staff.
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One of the executives allegedly told FBI agents that Mr. Miske had ordered five attacks on other potential victims between 2015 and 2016 that never materialized, according to court documents. ing.
