Civil Beat published my latest update on the case of the Miske Enterprise this morning (“Another Key Player In The Miske Conspiracy Case Has Made A Deal With Prosecutors“).

Here’s the lede:

By the time Lance Lee Bermudez was 25, he had a reputation as a shooter to go with his nickname, “Hammah.”

He had landed a spot as part of a criminal organization that federal prosecutors allege was controlled and directed by local businessman Michael John Miske Jr., who owned and operated Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control, M Nightclub, a longline fishing boat and several other businesses.

And he displayed a large collection of body art on his 5-foot, 9-inch frame, including “Bermudez” spelled out in ornate letters across his chest and, on the left side of his neck, a biblical quotation: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

But on Wednesday morning, that willingness to sacrifice for his friends proved to have limits. Bermudez, now 31, appeared before federal Judge Derrick Watson by video conference to plead guilty to three felony charges as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Based on his record, the admissions made in his plea agreement, and descriptions of incidents by other Miske associates who pleaded guilty and began cooperating with prosecutors earlier, getting Bermudez to “flip” is a major win for the federal prosecutors on the case.

He is the second defendant, now a cooperating witness, to be able to give first-hand testimony that places Mike Miske at the center of a murder-for-hire conspiracy, requesting a “hit” on a Waimanalo man suspected of giving information to law enforcement, and putting up the money to pay for it.

Bermudez also further implicates Jason Yokoyama, who was added as a defendant in the case last year.

Yokoyama was working with Miske for at least a decade prior to his indictment in 2021, according to court files and business registration records.

In a 2011 court appearance, Yokoyama identified himself to the judge as operations manager for Miske’s Kamaaina Termite. The same year, he was listed as an officer, along with Miske and a third man, Richard Aqui, of several new companies, including one that went on to do business as M Nightclub, and another, Hawaii Partners, which later bought the Boston Whaler “Painkiller” that prosecutors believe was used to dispose of the body of Jonathan Fraser, who was Miske allegedly ordered to be killed.

Prosecutors allege the businesses were actually owned and controlled by Miske.

In any case, you should head over to Civil Beat and read today’s story.