Another shoe falls in the prosecution of former Honolulu business owner Michael J. Miske, Jr.
Two more co-defendants charged with Miske in the original July 2020 indictment are now scheduled to plead guilty over the next week, presumably part of plea deals with federal prosecutors.
Kaulana Freitas is scheduled to face Federal Judge Derrick Watson Wednesday morning in a plea change hearing.
Freitas was charged with being a member of Miske’s alleged racketeering and drug conspiracies, and with taking part in two chemical attacks on Honolulu nightclubs, releasing a chemical used in termite tenting on the nightclub floors.
Michael Buntenbah is scheduled to appear in federal court a week from today to change his “not guilty” plea.
Both plea deals are expected to include agreements to cooperate by testifying against Miske and other former associates.
Buntenbah was the only co-defendant who was not accused of being a member of Miske’s alleged racketeering conspiracy, but was charged with “assault in aid of racketeering,” apparently related to his taking part in at least two high profile assault cases while working as a bouncer at Miske’s M Nightclub, as well as being part of a drug conspiracy that operated as part of what prosecutors refer to as the Miske Enterprise.
Whatever the details of their pleas, which are not publicly known at this point, Freitas and Buntenbah will be the fourth and fifth co-defendants to take a deal and “flip.”
Other Miske co-defendants who have taken plea deals:
Hunter Wilson. Plea agreement dated May 6, 2021. Pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy (Count 1 in the Miske indictment) and conspiracy to distribute “controlled substances,” including methamphetamine and cocaine. The drug conspiracy charge carries a minimum 10-year sentence.
Norman Akau. Guilty plea entered June 9, 2021 to a single count of racketeering conspiracy (Count 1). This carries a maximum 20 year sentence.
Harry Kauhi. Plea agreement filed on January 6, 2022. Pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy (Count 1) and to taking part in an robbery while armed with a firearm, referred to as a Hobbs Act robbery (Count 18). Each charge carries a maximum 20 year sentence, possible $250,000 fine, and three years supervised release after serving out the prison term.
In addition, at least six others were charged separately but have pleaded guilty to being part of Miske’s racketeering and/or drug conspiracies.
The case is currently set for trial in early September.
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The Federal, Department of Justice and FBI are very much like a methodical steam roller. They move very slowly, they never stop, keep rolling over there target, over and over again.
The end result of the work, completely levels all surfaces into a perfectly smooth surface.
Under this pressure, the only option is to blame “The Blog” and Ian Lind in face of desperate, inevitable conclusion.
Simone Biles eat your heart out…..
Whatever became of our dear, former prosecutor Kaneshiro? Anyone?
Ian as this winds down an interesting investigative rabbit hole would be to look if oligarchs own Kahala Ave mansions? The $29.5 million Kauai mansion put up for sale in 2011 by the Ryboleva oligarch family makes you wonder if other oligarchs are in Hawaii cloaked behind LLC?s and shell companies.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-heiress-ekaterina-rybolovleva-lists-large-kauai-estate-1437083679
Ian, can you see a time when Miske just says “no more” and throws in the towel for a chance of parole? I don’t know if Miske has any information of value for law enforcement that he could trade, but it sure seems like the feds are rolling up his organization and getting ready to put him away forever.
There is no parole in the federal system. You do your time.