I’ve been reading about the advances in generative AI and large language models, and started looking for recommendations for systems that would benefit an investigative reporter like myself. Surprisingly, I didn’t find much in the way of discussion or recommendations suited to individual reporters.

So I asked a friend who has been involved in reporting on the tech world for several decades for his recommendations. His first suggestion was to check out Google’s NotebookLM.

Knowing nothing about it at all, I went to my Google account and there was an invite to try it out. So I did.

The quick results were amazing, to me at least.

The free test allowed me to upload up to 50 files into a “notebook,” and then ask questions about the information contained in those files.

I chose daily transcripts from the Miske trial, and uploaded as many as I could, which cut off after I reached the 50 document limit.

You can ask individual questions. Quite comprehensive answers come very quickly.

Then I saw a link to automatically create a “briefing document,” and clicked that.

It didn’t take long to get the result, maybe 10 seconds. I’m including it below. In the original, the references to the transcripts appear as clickable links, which open up the specific transcript and highlight the section referenced. All in just seconds.

The full version of the system will allow up to 300 source files in each of 500 notebooks. I’m finding it a bit hard to wrap my mind around that and imagine the difference it could make in moving a complex story forward.

In any case, here’s the “briefing document” that NotebookLM produced.

This is an incredibly powerful tool for organizing and understanding information collected in the course of an investigation. And I’ve not done any more than scratched the surface!

Now I hope that I have an opportunity to use this new technology in a developing story.

NotebookLM by Google

Okay, here’s a detailed briefing document summarizing the main themes and important information from the provided sources:

BRIEFING DOCUMENT

Subject: Review of Transcripts and Documents Related to Michael J. Miske Jr. Case

Date: October 26, 2024

Introduction: This document compiles information extracted from various transcripts and documents related to the case of Michael J. Miske Jr. The content focuses on key themes and facts, using quotes from the original sources where appropriate, to provide a comprehensive overview.

I. Key Players and Relationships:

• Michael J. Miske Jr.: The central figure in the case, often referred to as “Mike” or “Bro”. He appears to be a leader figure, orchestrating and influencing various criminal activities.
• Known to be paranoid about law enforcement detection (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Provided burner phones to associates (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Jake Smith: A key associate of Miske, admitting to participating in numerous robberies and drug-related activities. He often sought Miske’s approval for his actions and aimed to raise his status.
• Admitted to targeting robberies of drug dealers with Miske’s knowledge and approval (Jake Smith Day 2 & 4)
• “And were you telling Mr. Miske about those robberies to raise your status with Mr. Miske?” “A Yes.” (Jake Smith Day 4)
• Sold drugs and often gave them to Tim Taboada to sell. (Jake Smith Day 1)
• Received protection from Miske, including legal representation and protection from those they robbed (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Described Miske’s reputation in the community as someone people were scared of (Jake Smith Day 4)
• John “Johnnie” Blane Stancil: Another associate who is implicated in robberies and drug dealing. He appears to be influenced by Miske and was often “egged on” by him to commit crimes (Jake Smith Day 2).
• Sold drugs, including “ice, coke, pills” (Jake Smith Day 2)
• Owed Jake Smith money for drugs he was fronted (Jake Smith Day 2)
• Involved in the robbery of Nico Carignan (Ashlin Akau)
• Kaulana “Shorty” Freitas: Also involved in criminal activities, including robberies (Jake Smith Day 2).
• Owed money for drugs fronted to him by Jake Smith (Jake Smith Day 2)
• Discussed potential robberies with Jake Smith (Kaulana Freitas Day 3)
• Participated in the Mike Char robbery and had his car destroyed by Miske afterward (Kaulana Freitas Day 3)
• Tim Taboada: Received and sold drugs, particularly methamphetamine (ice), from Jake Smith and John Stancil (Jake Smith Day 1)
• Lance Bermudez: Another trusted associate of Miske (Jake Smith Day 3) and was connected to a robbery of Nico Carignan (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Miske paid for Lance’s attorney (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Wayne: A person whose opinion was sought out in relation to Jake Smith being incarcerated, suggesting an internal network and a hierarchy (Sarah Tufele)
• Friends of Miske: Socialized with Miske and Tufele including jet skiing at Maunalua Bay near Outback Steakhouse and Roy’s (Sarah Tufele)
• Dallas Limahai: Mentioned as part of a feud between Miske, Jake Smith, Stancil and Kinney (Jake Smith Day 2)
• Frankie Silva and Minn: Associates of Jake Smith in a robbery incident (Jake Smith Day 2)
• Allen Lau: Sold dabs and liquid marijuana to Preston Kimoto. Involved in plumbing, but not tile work (Tia Nakanelua and Allen Lau).
• Preston Kimoto: purchased dabs and liquid marijuana from Allen Lau. Involved in discussions of selling marijuana vape pens (preston kimoto Day 2)
• James “Turtle” Salas: Target of a robbery (Jake Smith Day 1)

II. Criminal Activities:

• Robberies: A major theme, with multiple individuals admitting to participating in robberies of drug dealers and others. These robberies were often planned with intel and involved a group effort.
• Ashlin Akau admits to being involved in robberies of drug dealers, and assisting others in such activities.
• Jake Smith admits to robberies of Jorge Cano, Nicholas Carignan, and Palani Mitchell (Jake Smith Day 4).
• Smith states he was “targeting robberies of drug dealers” with Miske’s awareness and knowledge
• Jake Smith admitted to planning and executing robberies, often sharing intel with other associates to commit the crimes
• Jake Smith stated “You were expected to commit crime when asked for?” (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Freitas discussed potential robberies with Jake Smith and Chad Duncan (Kaulana Freitas Day 3)
• A text between Smith and Stancil suggest the two of them planned robberies with phrases like, “You guys going to be ready tonight if I call you?” “To be ready to hit something if he calls us.” (Jake Smith Day 1)
• Drug Dealing: A significant part of the criminal enterprise. Various individuals were involved in the sale of methamphetamine (ice), cocaine, pills, ecstasy, and marijuana products.
• Isaiah Kaeo-Cash gave Stancil ecstasy and got weed from him (Isaiah Kaeo-Cash)
• Jake Smith sold drugs and regularly gave them to Tim Taboada to sell (Jake Smith Day 1).
• Smith states he would front drugs and collect money later (Jake Smith Day 2)
• John Stancil is confirmed to have sold drugs including “ice, coke, pills” (Jake Smith Day 2)
• Allen Lau sold dabs and liquid marijuana to Preston Kimoto (Tia Nakanelua and Allen Lau).
• Assaults: Individuals were expected to assault people at the request of Miske (Jake Smith Day 3). Smith mentions “Haole cracks here,” where “cracks” means to assault someone (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Use of Violence/Intimidation: Miske’s reputation was tied to fear in the community. This intimidation was leveraged to protect criminal activities including when collecting debts, or to protect associates (Jake Smith Day 4)
• Use of Burner Phones: Miske and associates used burner phones to coordinate meetings and activities, indicating a concern for law enforcement surveillance. (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Miske would provide these burner phones to others, sometimes for free. (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Miske and his associates frequently switched phones (Jake Smith Day 1)

III. Locations and Communications:

• Hawaii Kai: A frequent location of activities, especially Maunalua Bay (Sarah Tufele, Jake Smith Day 2).
• The “bay” mentioned in text messages refers to the bay in Hawaii Kai (Jake Smith Day 2)
• “HK” Refers to Hawaii Kai (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Pawn Shops: Associates were instructed to check various pawn shops in an area (Ashlin Akau).
• “WYA” Means “where you at” used in communication (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Communications were sometimes coordinated over WhatsApp and burner phones (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Text Message Intel: Pictures of targets were used as intel for robberies (Jake Smith Day 1)

IV. Other Notable Points:

• Miske’s Control: Miske exerted significant control over his associates, using methods of encouragement and, at times, family pressure to influence their actions (Jake Smith Day 2). Smith stated, “He would just make Johnnie feel bad or down Johnnie all the time so Johnnie would try to impress him.”
• La Familia Patch: Jake Smith received a “La Familia” patch while in jail, referring to an established prison gang (Jake Smith Day 1).
• Plea Agreements: Several individuals, including Ashlin Akau and John Stancil, entered into plea agreements, often related to robbery charges. John Stancil was reminded that entering a plea agreement would impact his civil rights (Transcript-stancil plea hearing.pdf)
• DNA Evidence: There’s mention of DNA collection, indicating a police investigation that may have included evidence collection (Seung Ji Robert Lee)
• “Lick” Means to Kick: A statement is clarified from messages where ‘lick’ meant ‘kick’ (Jake Smith Day 2)
• “Scrips” Means Money: A statement is clarified from messages where ‘scrips’ meant money (Jake Smith Day 1)
• “Fronting Drugs”: Is clarified as giving them drugs without them paying up front (Jake Smith Day 2)

V. Evidence of Miske’s Involvement

• Miske approved of Jake Smith’s robberies (Jake Smith Day 4)
• Miske provided a lawyer to Jake Smith (Jake Smith Day 4)
• Miske was aware that Jake Smith was “targeting robberies of drug dealers” (Jake Smith Day 2)
• Miske instructed associates to look for a pawned watch at various shops (Ashlin Akau)
• Miske used burner phones to coordinate meetings (Jake Smith Day 3) and provide them to associates (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Miske would coordinate meetings over WhatsApp (Jake Smith Day 3)
• Miske egged Stancil on, using family pressure to get him to commit criminal acts (Jake Smith Day 2)
• Miske’s reputation was used to protect associates from potential harm (Jake Smith Day 3, 4)
• Miske threatened an individual in relation to a business deal (Seung Ji Robert Lee)
• Miske had an associate hold onto MDMA or ecstasy, indicating drug related criminal activity (Trranscript Cabael pt 2.pdf)

VI. Open Questions and Areas for Further Investigation:

• The full extent of Miske’s influence and control over his associates
• The specific roles and motivations of certain individuals like Wayne, Dallas Limahai, and others.
• Specific details on how the criminal enterprise was organized and how the money was distributed.

Conclusion:

The transcripts and documents reveal a network of individuals involved in various criminal activities, including robberies, drug dealing, and assaults. Michael J. Miske Jr. appears to be the central figure, orchestrating and influencing these activities. The information highlights a complex criminal enterprise with layers of association, communication methods, and a culture of violence and intimidation. Further investigation and analysis will be essential to understand the full scope of this criminal activity and Miske’s role in it.

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