A Hawaii crime boss convicted in a revenge plot by his son’s friend was found dead in his prison cell over the weekend, authorities announced Monday.
According to the Bureau of Prisons, 50-year-old Michael “Mike” Miske was found unresponsive in his cell at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu on Sunday.
Miske was pronounced dead just after 10 a.m. His cause of death remains unclear.
Investigators are reportedly investigating the crime boss’ death as a suicide, but it is unclear whether he was on suicide watch. KGMB reported.
A jury had convicted Miske in July of 13 charges, including racketeering conspiracy, murder by racketeering and kidnapping resulting in death.
Miske’s crime organization, referred to in an indictment as the ‘Miske Enterprise’, ran from the late 1990s until his arrest in July 2020, when he was arrested on kidnapping and murder charges in connection with the disappearance of 21-year-old Jonathan Fraser.
Fraser was best friends with Miske’s late son, Caleb Miske, and the pair crashed together at high speed in November 2015, resulting in the death of the kingpin’s son.
Although police reported that Caleb had been driving, Miske allegedly insisted that Fraser was responsible for the death of his only son.
Fraser disappeared without a trace in July 2016. His body was never found.
Following Fraser’s disappearance, Miske was investigated by police, where his web of criminal activity came into focus, with federal agents raiding his home and arresting him in July 2020.
His trial began in January 2024 and lasted about six months.
“Evidence was presented at trial that from approximately March 2016 to approximately July 30, 2016, Miske conspired with others to kidnap and murder 21-year-old Johnathan Fraser, believing Fraser was responsible for the death of Miske’s son. result of a car accident,” said the The US Attorney’s Office.
“In March 2016, Miske instructed a co-conspirator to develop a plan to kidnap and murder Fraser and told that co-conspirator that he/she could name the price for carrying out the murder. On or about July 30, 2016, Fraser was kidnapped and murdered.”
“On that same day, another co-conspirator of Miske took Fraser’s partner on a ‘spa day’, ensuring that Fraser and his partner would be separated if Fraser was kidnapped.”
During the trial, the size of Miske’s criminal network also came to light.
The crime boss has owned contracting, automotive and fishing companies since at least the 1990s, and advertisements for his eradication company, Kama’aina Termite & Pest Control, aired regularly on Oahu.
In addition to homes, he also owned the glitzy nightclub M, later renamed ‘Encore’.
At his trial, he was also accused of orchestrating crimes including murder-for-hire, theft, the kidnapping of a 72-year-old accountant who was in debt, and the release of a toxic chemical at a rival’s nightclub.
“In or about March 2017, Miske and others conspired to release a chemical weapon, namely chloropicrin, into nightclubs in Honolulu, Hawaii. As part of this conspiracy, chloropicrin was released in two different nightclubs,” the The US Attorney’s Office.
Miske’s conviction allowed the government to seize $28 million of his assets, including boats, homes and artwork.
About a dozen of Miske’s associates were also involved in his various charges.
Before his death this week, the crime boss was due to appear before a judge for sentencing in January and faced a life sentence.
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