HONOLULU, HI – Michael J. Miske Jr., the former owner of the Honolulu-based used car dealer Hawaii Partners LLC, has been charged – along with several other individuals – with being a part of Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control Inc., a termite treatment firm and alleged front for criminal activities, including numerous violence and fraud.
Among the misdeeds that Miske was purportedly a part of was using his position to purchase hundreds of automobiles at incredibly low prices to sell on his used car lot by intimidating and threatening other bidders vying for the vehicles into dropping out of countless wholesale auctions.
He bought a lot of junk cars, cheap. Nobody can bid when he’s bidding. We all know him. We’re scared,” one rival dealer was quoted as saying, who asked not to be identified due to fears for his safety.
“One time we were both bidding on the same vehicle. He won, then he came and threatened me. His eyes were all red, like he wanted to kill me right there.”
However, these alleged actions only represent the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the claims against him and his conspirators, officials say.
Prosecutors have referred to the criminal organization that the used car dealer was the head of as the “Miske Enterprise,” which he utilized to carry out money laundering, employing violent criminals, and engaging in numerous acts of fraud from the late 1990s until the point he was arrested and charged in July 2020.
The many vehicles Miske purchased via Hawaii Partners were also used for illicit gains, officials say, including not just as a means of making an income for the dealership, but also for laundering money made from the sale of drugs, or with the vehicles themselves presented to criminal associates as a way of rewarding them for services rendered.
Miske – along with 12 other co-defendants – are facing a litany of serious changes, ranging from racketeering conspiracy, murder-for-hire, kidnapping, assault, armed robbery, weapons offenses, drug trafficking and bank fraud.
Thus far, six of the defendants have agreed to testify against Miske and the others in exchange for plea bargain agreements; the case is currently slated to go to trial in April 2023.
Christopher Boyle is an investigative journalist, videographer, reporter and writer for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® as well as other independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher works on a wide variety of topics and fields, has been featured in print and online in a variety of publications, from local to national, and helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening in the automotive world for Auto Buyers Market.