A general idea of the types of evidence the FBI has collected to support the indictment of Michael Miske, the owner of Kamaaina Termite & Pest Control, and ten alleged accomplices, was spelled out in a series of legal memos filed in federal court this week.
It’s obvious this isn’t just some case of “he said-she said”.
The evidence against MISKE and the Enterprise is powerful and abundant and includes: (i) forensic extractions of multiple cellular telephones in which direct communications were uncovered between MISKE and other Enterprise members as well as with victim Johnathan Fraser; (ii) the grand jury testimony of dozens of witnesses including numerous cooperating defendants, several of whom have either already pled guilty or have agreed to do so in the future; (iii) the results of search warrants on email, cloud and social media accounts including those of MISKE; (iv) audio recordings of controlled purchases of drug transactions which transpired at KTPC; (v) court-authorized Title III wiretap interceptions of wire and electronic communications on Enterprise members’ cellphones; (vi) the results of search warrants executed at physical locations and on vehicles which resulted in the seizure of drugs, firearms, handcuffs, zip ties, police issued body armor, ski masks, a gun scope, ammunition, duct tape and chloropicrin, the chemical used in the nightclub attacks; and (vi) hours of physical and electronic surveillance conducted by law enforcement on MISKE and Enterprise members. These items corroborated, in many ways, the grand jury testimony of victims, civilian witnesses and cooperating defendants, many of whom the United States expects will testify at any trial against MISKE and the Enterprise.
You get the idea…”numerous cooperating defendants” (as in “accomplices are flipping on Mike”)…”audio recordings” of drug transactions (the office was apparently bugged)…court-authorized wiretaps…other witnesses.
And the there’s the stuff seized, including “drugs, firearms, handcuffs, zip ties, police issued body armor, ski masks, a gun scope, ammunition, duct tape and chloropicrin, the chemical used in the nightclub attacks.”
Not the kind of stuff most of us have laying around the house.
Of course, this is all from the prosecutors point of view.
See: MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF MOTION TO DETAIN DEFENDANT MICHAEL J. MISKE, JR.
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My wife commented they finally got Wo Fat. So how did the “Enterprise” work? Financially? News coverage claims Miske spent $15 million, while earning $300k at Kamaiana Pest. KP was not a dummy corporation, used to launder money (just). That’s $1 million a year. So where did that come from. As of now it’s not large scale drug dealing. An it might be an undercount. A clue would be his real estate. Three houses seized. Real estate is a useful laundry. Large cash purchases; appreciation, low property taxes, but no income taxes. If I wanted to unravel this independently of the Feds (not possible to do as good a job. I would start with his real estate and property tax records.
https://iatse665.org/about/#staff
…they seem very involved in the film industry!
Trevor Ozawa and the Hi Kai tree lighting business come to mind. How much higher can we go in political connections, or will there again—-as in Kealoha influence unraveling— be a request in time to, “Move on”?
Kat Kealoha was remanded to custody pending sentencing as a result of witness tampering that pales in comparison.
While that was post-conviction rather than merely post-indictment, The Termite Gang will likely make its nest at the Federal Detention Center for the foreseeable future.
In other Termite tales, Hawaii News Now had a fascinating interview yesterday with a character who’s almost certainly among the cooperating witnesses. The Termite King allegedly tried to recruit him for the murder that’s at the center of this case, then tried to exterminate him when he declined the $50k offer.
But what’s missing so far is any explanation of how he knew The Termites and why they would enlist him for such a unique task.
He also alleged that the murder victim was tortured, but there was no explanation of how he would be aware of such a chilling assertion.
Is there much more to this tale? It would seem to demand some credible follow-up.
Lindsey Kinney and Norman Akau were both in the Napiki Motorcycle Club together. That’s why they felt comfortable approaching him.
Well 8 target letters have been sent out…there are bunch of people shaking in their books right now…maybe even a few politicians….what a tangled web this is…Miske lawyer acting all tough guy, said about the charges, easy to say things but have to prove them in court. Well Tommy O, you got your work cut out for you as it looks like you will have a tough time getting your client off on all 22 charges, maybe a couple but the FBI means business and once they have the goods, its over as evidenced by the Kealoha case. Also, one side not that Ian didn’t touch on..the Feds seized HPD issued body armor…how does that happen, did Miske have someone in HPD get him the armor or were there incidents of HPD officers having their cars broken into and thing stolen such as body armor, gun and ammuntion? Was the theft legitimate or a set up to make it look like a theft? If so, that means some in HPD is on the take. There should be records of police having their cars broken into and HPD issued gear stolen…speaking of HPD, notice that HPD did not help in the arrest and that FBI flew in agents from Virginia for the raid?
The Termite Gang camps weekends at the small beachpark in Hawaii Kai with the tree lights. They put a phony church sign up and then take over with tents, jet skis and double parked vehicles so nobody else can use the park.
IAN, IT’S CALLED ORGANIZED crime for a reason. As much as Miske’s enterprise appears to be “the real deal” and right out of the “Soprano’s”, I’m generally not impressed. Sure, Miske had all the appearances of being organized: front businesses, community involvement, chain of command, etc., but it would only be a matter of time before people started talking and Miske caught the attention of the Fed’s.
The real pro’s, in my opinion, are the criminal enterprises that keep our tourist areas flush with drugs and narcotics year after year, maintain the prostitution industry (in all it’s various forms), and when there is a bust and a raid–the same activities and places pop up again. Sure, in the process, a pimp from the mainland might get busted, or a local bodyguard/doorman kills someone, but those guys aren’t the real players.
So yeah, the Miske bust makes for great headlines and titillating exposure of local figures, but in the end, organized crime will continue and flourish in Hawaii.
Multiple ‘thefts’ of HPD gear from officers cars.
In this case an officer ‘ran out of gas’ near a sewage treatment plant and instead of calling for help he walked away from the car for 30 mins during which time the equip was ‘stolen’
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Apr/19/br/br16p.html
Here are some others:
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/01/15/breaking-news/gun-still-missing-after-theft-from-officers-car-in-kalihi/
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/35992900/hpd-officers-rifle-other-items-stolen-from-car-in-hawaii-kai/
2016: Two HPD offiers selling stolen car, arrange fake theft
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2016/03/22/breaking-news/hpd-officer-guilty-of-buying-selling-stolen-vehicle/
Miske Enterprise member Norman Akau III had multiple shootings in his past including a gruesome 1994 Kahala Avenue shotgun shooting of a Charleys cab driver in the back of the head during a robbery. He should never have been released. What an utter failure by our prosecutors to keep us safe. Keith Kaneshiro was prosecutor during that time.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30691930/norman-akau-1994-shooting-of-cab/