Miske died of drug overdose, examiner says
Honolulu crime boss Michael J. Miske Jr., 50, died of “toxicity of fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl” in what appears to be an accidental death while he was being held in the Federal Detention Center awaiting sentencing, the Honolulu Department of the Medical Examiner said Tuesday.
The manner of Miske’s death “is still listed as pending,” the office said in a statement. “However, based on currently available information, the manner of death in this case appears to be accidental.”
Federal agents arrested Miske on July 15, 2020, and a federal jury July 18 found him guilty of racketeering conspiracy, murder and 11 other felony charges.
Miske was found dead in his cell Dec. 1, with no cause of death given.
At the time, his family released a brief statement, in part saying, “We are extremely disappointed in the Federal Government, and the FDC in their ability to keep him safe, and secure, “The family of Michael Miske thanks you for your concern and ask that you respect our privacy at this time,” Maryanne Miske, Miske’s cousin, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Miske’s trial, which began in January, lasted about six months and included 98 days of testimony, extensive evidence and over 240 witnesses presented by federal prosecutors.
He stood trial alone after six alleged co-conspirators — John Stancil, Dae Han Moon, Preston M. Kimoto, Delia-Anne Fabro-Miske, Jarrin Young and Jason K. Yokoyama — accepted plea deals.
As part of his plea agreement, Stancil admitted to orchestrating two chemical attacks on Honolulu nightclubs on consecutive days in March 2017, acting under orders from Miske, according to federal court documents.
Stancil provided a driver with chloropicrin — a hazardous chemical capable of causing severe harm, including serious health issues, temporary incapacitation or even death in humans — along with instructions for its use.
Stancil used what he had learned from a similar chemical attack on a Waikiki nightclub in 2015, which Miske had also ordered, to carry out the assaults.
During the March 2017 attacks, chloropicrin was released in one Oahu nightclub on back-to-back nights, causing patrons to flee as they experienced severe eye irritation and difficulty breathing.
Stancil also admitted to facilitating a $60,000 murder-for-hire contract in 2016 as part of his involvement with Miske’s criminal enterprise.
On July 18 a federal jury convicted Miske on all counts, including racketeering conspiracy and the murder of 21-year-old Johnathan Fraser.
Prosecutors argued that Miske orchestrated Fraser’s 2016 kidnapping and murder, believing Fraser was responsible for the car accident that killed Miske’s son, Caleb. Evidence later revealed that Caleb had been the driver in the crash.
Fraser was last seen July 30, 2016, and his body has not been recovered.
Federal prosecutors claimed that from the late 1990s to 2020, Miske and his associates ran the “Miske Enterprise,” which engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity that included murder, kidnapping, arson and robbery.
As part of the racketeering conspiracy conviction, the court ordered Miske to forfeit assets worth over $20 million, marking the largest individual forfeiture case in Hawaii’s history, according to Sorenson.
