The death of Mike Miske in Honolulu’s Federal Detention Center last week ends a long-running felony assault case in state court stemming from an incident outside his M Nightclub 12 years ago.
The charges, assault and criminal property damage, were the first serious criminal charges Miske had faced since a flurry of felony convictions in the mid-1990s when he was only about 20 years old. He served a period of probation after those convictions, launched Kamaaina Termite and Pest Contol in 2000, followed by other businesses over the next decade.
Miske had survived several subsequent federal investigations, but he had emerged from those without being charged. But the Galmiche assault, which was followed by several others over the next few years, drew additional federal law enforcement attention and provided initial impetus to the FBI’s investigation that finally brought down the Miske Enterprise, which was dubbed “Operation EM-EM” when it got underway in early 2014.
In the early morning hours of Saturday, December 15, 2012, a rival event promoter, Michael Galmiche, and several associates were adverting their upcoming New Year’s Eve concert, handing out fliers and projecting images on a screen set up on a public sidewalk across from the parking lot exit as late-night patrons at Miske’s M Nightclub and other venues were leaving at closing time.
A black Porsche SUV drove up and Miske jumped out, pointed at the screen, and yelled, “Take this fucking thing down!” He then got on the phone and summoned a group of his thugs that served as an unlicensed “shadow” security team at the nightclub, and directed them to join him in assaulting Galmiche and an associate, Theresa Schubert, who was also kicked and stomped while trying to protect Galmiche.
Schubert’s testimony during the Miske trial was quoted in an April blog post.
Miske threw a blow at Galmiche, Schubert said, while two other guys were holding him up. Schubert said she went to try to help Galmiche, and one of the guys grabbed her shoulder and said, “sista, too late!”
She kneeled next to Galmiche and tried to bear hug him.
“I thought they would stop since I was a girl,” she said. “I yelled, ‘I’m a girl, I’m a freakin’ chick.”
Instead of backing off, one of the men kicked her in the head and on her right side.
She later identified the guy with a big tattoo and a broad forehead as John Stancil, Miske’s half-brother.
“It stopped when I heard sirens,” she testified.
Miske and Stancil were charged with Class C felonies, 2nd degree assault and criminal property damage value over $1,500. Both are punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and/or up to a $10,000 fine. Stancil pleaded “no contest” to misdemeanor charges in 2018 as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, leaving Miske to face trial alone. Stancil was sentenced to 1-year probation on each of the charges.
Miske’s assault trial has been repeatedly delayed for years. The charges were dismissed at one point after Honolulu prosecutors failed to meet a “speedy trial” deadline, but were later refiled, and prosecution of the case was taken over by the Attorney General’s office.
Since 2019, the trial was postponed multiple times at the request of Miske’s attorney, who referred to an expected federal indictment which was finally made public in July 2020. Since then, the state trial had been postponed so that it would start after his federal case had concluded.
Most recently, trial on the state charges was scheduled to begin the week of December 9, 2024.
On November 8, Judge Remigio signed a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum, a court order requiring federal Marshals to turn Miske over to state authorities in order to appear for a “trial call” in the long-running assault case. The “trial call” is a the last procedural step before a trial is set to begin. It offers an opportunity for attorneys to indicate readiness for trial, to seek additional delay, or perhaps to signal a plea deal is imminent.
Both Galmiche and Schubert appeared as government witnesses during Miske’s trial.
Discover more from i L i n d
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The “M” Club was center stage of Crime Inc. in Honolulu. Almost immediately adjacent is Ruth Chris Steal House which was scene for months and months of dinners in which Linda Lingle and Micah Kane wined and dined potential donors.
Ironically, or by design Kat Kealoha was given a plumb job as Director of OEQC, and authority of over The RAIL PROJECT environmental approvals. Which quickly flew thru approval.
Lingle and Mayor Hanemann enjoyed a tight relationship as Mufi put Police Chief Kealoha in position.
Lingle also placed Craig Ivester, Mike Miske’s cousins Step Father in Law’s brother Ed Slavish on the Hawaii Parole Authority Board.
Lingle also appointed John Souza husband of HART Board Chair Collen Hanabusa as Head of Public Safety. Souza had purchased property in Waianae from reputed organized crime members.
When these news reports hit local FBI office in Honolulu, they all but ran into the Governors office and demanded removal of these organized crime connected appointees.
Mike Miske’s political clout in as He described “The Food Chain” went a lot higher than the Kealoha’s. The big money project at the
Time was RAIL approval, follow the money!
@Reporter
I think it’s important to clarify that the M nightclub wasn’t even operating when Lingle was Governor; it was known as Ocean Club back then. As for Lingle and Kane wined and dined donors at Ruth’s Chris, there’s nothing illegal about that—it’s something politicians at all levels do. Suggesting that politicians dining near a nightclub equates to guilt is a bit of a stretch.
You did grab my attention by linking Kat Kealoha, Ivester, and Slavish, but I’m not sold on the idea that Souza was purchasing property from reputed organized crime figures. In Waianae, nearly everyone has some connection or familiarity with so-called “reputed” crime members. I’ll concede, though, that whispers about Souza’s connections to organized crime have persisted for years.
As for the FBI’s actions: when they allegedly pushed for the removal of appointees with organized crime ties, did anything come of it? Were these individuals removed, or did it fizzle out?
I’ve heard plenty of wild stories about Lingle and her connections to organized crime as well. Once, at an event, a friend pointed out a man and claimed he was part of the Hawaiian syndicate. In a small place like this, these kinds of stories can be captivating, fueling political passions—and sometimes, they’re exaggerated or become harmful. Maybe that’s what happened with Miske?
I still want to see a name(s) tied to whomever the Union Official was that bartered for Longshoreman (s) jobs with Miske. There are a bunch of angles that still need closure.
Mr “Reporter”
Please check your facts. Lingle did not lose her race for her second term for Hawaii Governor. She beat Iwase in 2006 by a mile. Lingle did lose her race against Hirono for US Senate in 2012.
Linda Lingle lost Her first attempt at becoming Governor, She won on Her second try, after allying Election Crime and interference prevented Her from winning on Her first try.
One of the challenges, She specified was an allegation that an Ewa Precinct was kept open for several additional hours past closing time and that no voters were in line as described by law. None of Lingle’s allegations were ever proven or adjudicated, nor was an apology ever offered to State Elections officials.
Stancil got a year of probation for kicking the daylights out of a couple on the orders of a crime boss.
Yeah, that sounds like Hawaii justice.