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Michael Miske used high-powered connections within the Honolulu Police Department and Prosecutor’s Office to try to avoid being cited after a traffic stop in 2015, according to Honolulu Police Officer Jared Spiker, who testified Monday during the alleged racketeering boss’s federal trial.  

By highlighting Miske’s law enforcement connections, prosecutors tried to show jurors how Miske was able to avoid legal trouble for years while he operated what they say was a vast criminal enterprise.

Spiker told jurors his attempts to cite Miske for driving while using a cellphone were thwarted by a “high-ranking prosecutor” who told him to back off in an email.

Though the prosecutor’s name wasn’t mentioned during testimony and was redacted from all physical evidence shown to the jury, previous court filings identify her as Katherine Kealoha, the now ex-wife of former Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha, both of whom were convicted of conspiracy in 2019.

District Court Judge Derrick Watson ruled in December that the prosecutor could only be referred to by her position because naming her could create unfair prejudice. 

Previous government witnesses have testified to Miske’s high-powered connections but Monday’s testimony presented the clearest evidence yet that government officials were willing to intervene on his behalf.

Defense attorneys said Miske was trying to cooperate with police after Spiker pulled him over, and that even though Miske then drove away, he planned to turn himself in when his lawyer could be present. 

Miske, who is charged in a 19-count indictment that includes murder in aid of racketeering and murder-for-hire conspiracy resulting in death, is charged with so many crimes over such a large period of time that the government has to show the jury how he was able to go on for so long, said Ken Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project.

Miske has pleaded not guilty to all counts.

“The whole argument from the government’s standpoint is, let me show you why a guy like this has been allowed to operate this criminal enterprise seemingly without any trouble from the police,” Lawson said. “It leaves him free to have a get out of jail free card and to engage in the type of behavior that most of us would be wary to engage in.”

A Call To Officer’s Personal Phone

The email asking Spiker to refrain from citing Miske stemmed from a traffic stop Spiker conducted on Queen Street on the afternoon of Nov. 12, 2015, when he pulled Miske over for using his cellphone while driving.

Miske initially pulled over, but drove away before Spiker could issue the citation. Spiker said he recognized Miske and also took down his license plate number.

Spiker decided not to pursue Miske’s vehicle but instead went to one of his businesses, Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control, to try to get in touch with him.

At around 6 p.m. that evening, he got a call on his personal cellphone from a blocked number. It was Miske.

Miske addressed Spiker by his first name, Jared, asked him if it was really so important he be cited and said, “Can we work something out?” Spiker told jurors.

Spiker said he understood that as an attempted bribe. He was also concerned about how Miske was able to get his personal phone number and how he knew Spiker’s first name.

Despite those concerns, Spiker said he didn’t want to let the issue go.

“Part of our job as police officers is, if we observe violations or crimes being committed, we have to make attempts to locate the suspect, even if they’re evading the police,” he told jurors. “We have to do our job.”

On Nov. 14, 2015, at around 3:45 a.m., Spiker went with two other officers to look for Miske at his M Nightclub.

A bouncer told Spiker Miske wasn’t there, but Spiker said he’d be back. Another officer on scene also mentioned various liquor violations he’d witnessed at the club.

Less than an hour later, Spiker got another call on his personal phone. It was Miske again.

He put his phone on speaker and another officer recorded the call. Assistant U.S. Attorney William KeAupuni Akina played the recording for jurors. 

“I will go to the top of the food chain, Jared Spiker,” Miske could be heard saying. “Don’t go to my place of business and act a fool. I will have everybody over there put a TRO (temporary restraining order) on you.”

Spiker asked Miske if that was a threat. Miske replied it was Spiker and the other officers who were making threats and trying to “give fines like you guys are the liquor commission over there.”

On Nov. 17, 2015, Spiker said he received the email from the “high-ranking prosecutor” telling him there was a “multi-agency operation” going on and asking him to call her.

Akina pulled up the email for jurors, but the prosecutor’s name was redacted. The email signature showed she was an attorney with the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office in charge of the Career Criminal and Sexual Assault Division.

Spiker said when he called the prosecutor, she told him Miske was assisting her office with an operation. 

“I was to stand down at this time and to not arrest Mr. Miske and to not pursue him any longer until further notice,” Spiker said. “I was kind of taken aback, but ultimately, I said OK.” 

Spiker said he feared it could negatively affect his career if he went against the prosecutor’s office.  

Defense attorney Lynn Panagakos didn’t address the email other than to say Roger Lau, a retired police officer, was copied on them as well.

She said Lau had told others within the police department that Miske was planning to file a complaint with the Honolulu Police Department about the night Spiker came to the nightclub. She said that could be what Miske meant when he mentioned going to the “top of the food chain.”

She also questioned why there was no body camera footage or cell phone recordings of the traffic stop or any of the incidents that followed. Spiker said body cameras weren’t in use at that time and it was uncommon for officers to record conversations on their personal phones.

Miske was eventually charged with failure to obey a police officer on Dec. 24, 2015, according to court records. He pleaded no contest to the petty misdemeanor on Aug. 29, 2016, and paid a $200 fine along with a $30 crime victim fee and a $7 driver education assessment. 

‘What Kind Of System Do We Have?’

Other witnesses have testified to Miske’s powerful connections, including Laurence Miller, a former customer of Kamaaina Termite and Pest Control, who described observing friendly behavior between Miske and police officers.

Miller, who wanted to report threats he said he’d received from Miske in June 2015, told jurors he ended up feeling threatened by the police themselves. 

HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said in a previous statement the department knows of no connections between Miske and its personnel.

Monday’s courtroom narrative points to a broader system of corruption that allows for criminal activity, Lawson said.

The message is especially powerful, Lawson said, as the bribery trial involving former Honolulu Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro and businessman Dennis Mitsunaga is going on at the same time as Miske’s.

“I think it’s important for us to look at the fact that the corruption has been here,” Lawson said. “I think it’s a sad state of affairs when it takes the feds to come in and address it. It’s easy to point our finger at individuals on trial, but the real question is what kind of system do we have that allows people like that to thrive?”