In a series of unexpected moves on Friday, the lead attorney representing accused racketeering boss Michael J. Miske Jr. asked to withdraw from the case, and his co-counsel came under fire from prosecutors for alleged conflicts of interest that, prosecutors say, should also disqualify her from continuing to represent the former business owner.

With the trial scheduled to begin in mid-April and last three to four months, the legal bombshell could potentially shake the case to its foundations.

That’s the lead of my latest story on the federal criminal case against Miske and six remaining co-defendants published by Civil Beat early Friday evening.

I hadn’t planned on spending my Friday afternoon writing another update on the case of the former owner of Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control, but when I checked my email after getting back from lunch in Kaimuki, I saw a new document had been filed in court. And just from the title, I could see that it was something I wanted to jump on right away.

After checking in with Civil Beat Editor Patti Epler, I downloaded the document, read through it, and started writing. But then mid-afternoon, another document was filed, this time a motion by prosecutors asking the court to remove both of Miske’s lead lawyers from the case because of conflicts of interest.

If I hadn’t had a couple of computer glitches that cost me vital time and frustration, my story would have been online before Hawaii News Now broadcast a story at the beginning of their 6 p.m. newscast. As it is, I finally submitted my story at 5:42 p.m., and it was posted at Civil Beat at about 6:10 p.m.

Here’s the link to the Civil Beat story. And I’ll be posting more details here later this morning.

Miske’s Legal Defense Team In Disarray Amidst Alleged Conflicts Of Interest/For unknown reasons, the lead counsel for alleged crime boss Michael Miske asked Friday to withdraw from the case.

And here’s a link to the HNN story by Lynn Kawano (“2 high-profile attorneys for alleged crime boss Mike Miske could be disqualified from murder case”).