In a surprise move, alleged racketeering boss Mike Miske expanded his team of defense lawyers last week with the addition of Reno, Nevada-based Michael Jerome Kennedy.

Kennedy joins what is already a stellar cast of legal talent led by noted Honolulu attorneys Tom Otake and Lynn Panagakos, both considered among the tops in their field in Hawaii.

It is unclear what role Kennedy will play, and whether he will be taking over the courtroom lead when Miske’s case goes to trial, currently scheduled for April.

In order to appear in on Miske’s behalf in Honolulu’s federal court although he isn’t already licensed to practice here, Kennedy had to receive approval to appear pro hac vice, and arrange to work with local counsel (Otake and Panagakos). He would be appearing in a Hawaii courtroom for the first time.

Kennedy went into private practice in 2016 after a number of years with Nevada’s Office of the Federal Defender.

He has won acquittals in a several high profile criminal cases.

This bio appears on his law firm’s website.

Mr. Kennedy has worked almost exclusively in federal courts in the west (Nevada, California and Washington state) since 1992 defending individuals accused of a variety of federal crimes (guns, drugs, murders, rape, white collar offenses, RICO, VICAR, artifacts and anthrax to name a few) in some high profile, more low profile and often no profile cases. In March of 2016, he left the Office of the Federal Defender in Nevada and opened his own law practice. Mr. Kennedy teaches trial skills each year at the National Criminal Defense College, the Federal CJA Trial Skills Academy and/or other similar programs.

Mr. Kennedy has successfully defended numerous individuals accused by the government of committing crimes. In 1998, he successfully defended Larry Wayne
Harris (who U.S. News and World Report identified in an 1997 article as the “Next Unabomber”) in Las Vegas and Columbus, Ohio against charges identifying Harris
as a domestic terrorist relating to an alleged plot to use anthrax as a weapon. In 2006, he obtained a complete victory for Sohn Regas in both the 14 defendant state – and 44 defendant federal – Hells Angels prosecutions in Las Vegas arising from an incident in Harrah’s Laughlin casino between the Mongols and Hells Angels which left 3 dead. In 2007, he spent four months in trial in Las Vegas in a nine-defendant 162 count trial where the federal government failed to obtain a conviction against any defendant for any count. In 2008, he obtained acquittals in Reno in two attempt murder prosecutions, one of which arose from a shoot-out inside his client’s (David Lantry) home where two law enforcement officers were shot. In 2014, he obtained an acquittal on all four federal murder charges in a DOJ, Civil Rights Division, double homicide prosecution against an alleged former skinhead leader.

Most recently, after being retained in March of 2016, he and his co-counsel obtained an acquittal in a federal mortgage fraud conspiracy and wire fraud prosecution in Las Vegas. Mr. Kennedy has been selected for inclusion in the Nevada Super Lawyers, and recognized nationally by the National Academy of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Global Who’s Who and the National Trial Lawyers Association, for the practice of criminal defense. He began his career in 1988 as an associate with Holland & Hart in Denver, Colorado after graduating from the University of Minnesota Law School cum laude and is an active member of the Colorado, California and Nevada state bars.