A couple of weeks ago, I posted here about a tip that Mike Miske regularly hired residents of the Sand Island Treatment Center to do construction work on his luxury home at Portlock. Many of those Sand Island clients were referred to treatment by court order in criminal proceedings, and at some point are required to be employed in order to meet the conditions of their release from custody.

After that post was published, another tipster weighed in with additional information.

According to this second tip, Miske drew on various government programs that provide subsidies to employers who give jobs to certain targeted groups facing barriers to employment, including those released from prison, or facing a work requirement as a condition of probation. As I understand it, the businesses receive a tax credit for each of those qualified individuals who are hired.

Many of those looking for work were likely required to be employed as a condition of their probation or parole.

According to this tipster, the jobs would “generate extreme loyalty as most of them realized that if they didn’t do as they were told, they could get fired with cause, reported to their parole officers and be subject to reincarceration if not re employed somewhere some how. So who’s gonna hire a convicted criminal who got fired from his job on his release conditions……… boy does that give one power!”

I haven’t seen this particular maneuver described in Miske case documents made public so far, but it would appear to make sense.

Although the tip came from a good source who has been reliable in the past, I have not been able to independently verify Miske’s participation in government subsidy programs, so can’t vouch for the information. Perhaps the trial will add information to either confirm or contradict the tip.

FYI–The trial is set to get underway on Monday with opening arguments, and possibly with the beginning of the government’s case if time permits.