United States Attorney Clare E Connors | U.S. Department of Justice
On December 1, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reported that Michael J. Miske was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. The United States Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were involved in the response. The Chief Medical Examiner of the City and County of Honolulu conducted an autopsy to determine the cause of death, which is still under examination. There is currently no indication of foul play or suicide.
Miske was convicted by a federal jury on July 18, 2024, after a seven-month trial for 13 counts of criminal conduct. These charges included racketeering conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping resulting in death, chemical weapons offenses, and obstruction of justice. Additionally, a criminal forfeiture proceeding determined that Miske must forfeit assets valued at over $20 million. His sentencing hearing was initially set for November 26, 2024, but was postponed to January 30, 2025. He faced a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment.
United States Attorney Clare E. Connors stated: “Michael Miske’s death was unexpected and may terminate some of the ongoing criminal proceedings. The United States spent years investigating Miske’s large-scale criminal enterprise and then years preparing for one of the most grueling trials in this office’s history. Justice was served in the process but aspects of the case remain unfinished. In particular, we are committed to pursuing recovery of the assets found forfeitable by a federal criminal jury and will file pleadings in court as necessary and appropriate.”
The prosecution team included Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Inciong, Michael Nammar, KeAupuni Akina, and Aislinn Affinito for the initial case. Akina and Affinito also handled the subsequent criminal forfeiture proceeding with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Craig Nolan and Sydney Spector.
