It was just another moment in the racketeering trial of former Honolulu busines owner Michael J. Miske Jr.

San Diego-based web designer Brandon Shepard took the witness stand toward the end of a long trial day early this month.

Shepard, 43, said he had lived and worked in Hawaii from the early 1990s until 2014.

In 2008, he was running an agency, Maj3stic Studios. Shepherd knew Miske because he had done web design work for several of Miske’s companies, including Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control, Defend Hawaii, Kamaaina Plumbing, and Grand Finale, a company that put on fireworks displays for private events.

But on October 7, 2008, Miske was unhappy about a redesign Shepherd had been working on for Kamaaina Termite.

After Miske made several phone calls to Shepard that were not picked up, he sent a string of text messages. These were admitted into evidence.

A couple of hours later, Shepard replied in a terse but polite email.

“In response to your rude phone calls and text messages, our company was hired to build your website,” Shepard’s letter began. “We received ‘partial’ payment for this project and have completed all your request as initially agreed upon.”

To proceed with the project, Shepard laid out what was needed.

He reiterated that his contract required 50% of the contract price in advance, and full payment for the project before the revised website went live.

“Your office needs to email us your final approved version of the copyright text, photos, and revisions you asked for. Full payment is required prior to final launch,” he wrote.

He went on to explain that the project had been stalled pending the needed feedback and approvals from Kamaaina Termite, and that Maj3stic’s contract did not include designing a section containing a quote system form, which was now apparently at issue.

Further, Shepard said, David Melton, then a Kamaaina Termite manager, had advised that the project was on hold pending completion of a big job they were working on, scheduled to be done by September 20, 2010.

The following afternoon, Miske responded with an email of his own.

“Go fuck yourself!!! I won’t incriminate myself via email but I’m pretty sure you know what I’m about,” Miske wrote. “Hopefully soon me or my friends will run into you and have the opportunity to show you my gratitude.”

Shepard took that as a threat. He testified that he had never received a threatening message before in his career, and he was afraid. Shepard went to the Kapolei station and filed a police report, told his familly about the complaint, and then cut his business ties with Miske.

In response to a follow-up question, Shepard said he had not heard from Miske again.