My latest update on the legal tug of war over the property of the late racketeering kingpin Michael J. Miske, Jr., was published today at Civil Beat (“Mike Miske Case: Investigation Into Crime Syndicate May Not Be Over Yet“).

Although the government filed a civil forfeiture lawsuit more than a year ago claiming the right to seize a list of more than 20 properties, including real estate, vintage cars, and art, along with more than $4 million in cash and checks, there has been little measurable progress reported.

The only information available concerning off-the-record discussions between the feds and the Miske Trust have been in a series of brief status reports and stipulated agreements filed in the case. Although largely repetitive and pro-forma, there are occasionally bits of interesting information to be gleaned from these documents.

And the most recent court filing, an agreement among the parties to seek another 3-month delay in further court proceedings, offered up a surprise.

From today’s story:

A stipulated agreement between the parties in the asset forfeiture lawsuit states that prosecutors intend to use evidence collected in a previously undisclosed criminal investigation to bolster their legal claim to his properties.

Until then, the Miske-related criminal cases appeared to have effectively ended with the 30-year prison sentence doled out to Lance Bermudez in July, the last of about 18 co-defendants and associates of Miske to be sentenced — although three defendants have appeals of their sentences pending at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

The stipulation, filed in the U.S. District Court in Honolulu on Feb. 5, was signed off on by all current parties to the forfeiture case — the government, the Michael J. Miske Jr. Trust and three lenders holding secured interests in certain of Miske’s properties. In seeking the delay, the parties agreed “these upcoming motions … may affect the status of the civil action and/or discovery.”

It’s the first the public has heard about the existence of a new criminal investigation that has already yielded evidence prosecutors believe will provide further legal support for their attempt to seize the bulk of Miske’s assets.

In any case, check out today’s story in Civil Beat.