When the trial of accused racketeering boss Michael J. Miske Jr. gets back underway on Monday, April 1, event promoter Michael Galmiche will continue his testimony, which began at the end of the last trial day on March 15.

Galmiche, 51, has promoted a number of Hawaii’s largest events over the years, including the Hallowbaloo Music and Arts Festival in Chinatown, and the Dream Weekend concerts at Aloha Stadium.

On December 15, 2012, Galmiche and several others were passing out flyers promoting their scheduled New Year’s Eve concert to customers leaving Honolulu’s Restaurant Row at Waterfront Plaza near the 4 a.m. closing time. These included Miske’s M Nightclub and a couple of other late night spots. In addition to their leaflets, they had a generator powering a portable projector that displayed onto a screen on the sidewalk across the street, positioned to grab attention of drivers leaving the parking lot. The photo here is reversed so that it’s message is easier for the viewer to read.

Restaurant Row security had approached Galmiche as his group was setting up, and told them it was fine as long as they stayed on the sidewalk and didn’t enter the Waterfront Plaza property.

Galmiche testified that a black SUV pulled up in front of the screen and stopped for about 30 seconds. Then a man jumped out and came toward him. Galmiche recognized Mike Miske as owner of the M Nightclub.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Miske yelled. Galmiche said he told Miske he was promoting an upcoming event.

“I don’t give a fuck, you’re not doing this event with me, so get the fuck out of here,” Miske replied, according to Galmiche.

Miske then approached one of Galmiche’s associates. There was a tussle over a stack of flyers, and Miske then walked towards the screen, where Theresa Schubert was standing with the projector, and told them, “shut that shit off.”

Galmiche said he was trying to calm Miske down, when he looked over his shoulder and saw a group of 5 or 6 bouncers walking toward him.

“The first bouncer came at me and swung, but missed, then Miske hit me with an uppercut.” They they all started to swing at him, Galmiche said, knocking him to the ground.

That’s when the kicking started, he said.

Galmiche said that he then heard Miske say, “Kick his ass. That’s what he gets so he doesn’t come around here no more.”

Galmiche said he tried to crawl under a car, but he was pulled out as the group continued to kick him.

“Then Teressa came over and covered my body and begged them to stop, but they kept kicking me and started kicking her too,” he testified.

The beating stopped when sirens were heard approaching. Before the group left, Miske and others smashed the projector and computers, throwing them onto the sidewalk.

Galmiche was taken by ambulace to the Queen’s Hospital, where he was treated for broken ribs, and bruises and cuts “everywhere,” he said.

After the incident, Galmiche said he was contacted by Andrew Kim, who he had known since childhood. At the time, Kim was part of a group providing “muscle” to Miske on request.

The two met, and Kim told him Miske wanted to “squash this and is offering $10,000 to squash it.”

A $20,000 offer was received later. Galmiche said he turned down both offers because they wouldn’t cover the cost of the equipent that had been destroyed.

Following the assault, Galmiche said he and his crew were in fear for their lives when they were out promoting events, and changed his focus to avoid exposure.

Miske and his half-brother, John Stancil, were charged in state court with felony assault for the attack on Galmiche and Schubert. Stancil accepted a plea deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to a lesser charge. Miske had been scheduled to stand trial on the felony assault charges, but that has been held in abeyance pending resolution of the federal charges.

In addition, Michael Buntenbah, one of Miske’s original co-defendants in the racketeering case, also admitted his role in the Galmiche attack, which is included among several assaults described in his written plea agreement with prosecutors.

When cross examined by Miske’s attorney, Galmiche said he knew several of his associates had gone into Miske’s nightclub and distributed flyers about their New Year’s event, had been asked to leave, but later returned.

He was also asked about several inconsistencies between his testimony and a statement he made to police while being treated at the hospital. However, Galmiche had already said that his statement at the hospital was never meant to be a complete statement.

Under questioning, Galmiche twice denied having filed a civil lawsuit against Miske. However, court records show he filed a lawsuit in December 2014 which named Miske, John Stancil, M Nightclub, and Leverage Inc., which owned the club, as defendants.

It’s the kind of inconsistency that gives defense attorneys leverage as they try to poke holes in hostile testimony, often by impugning the witnesses motives. It will now be interesting to see whether Miske’s defense can exploit this issue, and whether prosecutors are able to explain the discrepancy when they have an opportunity to ask further direct questions.