HONOLULU (KHON2) – Convicted crime boss Michael Miske was found dead Sunday morning at the FDC Honolulu Federal Penitentiary, multiple sources confirm to KHON2.

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Miske was convicted in July of conspiracy and 11 other crimes, including murder, in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of Johnathan Fraser, a friend of his late son Caleb, who died in a car accident that Fraser survived.

Family and friends react to crime boss Miske’s guilty verdict

“It was certainly an amazing verdict reached by the jury after hearing months of testimony and evidence,” said Doug Chin, legal analyst.

He was awaiting sentencing in January 2025 and was being held at the Honolulu Federal Penitentiary.

Honolulu EMS initially responded to the emergency medical call at 9:18 a.m. and was on scene for nearly an hour.

The coroner’s staff then took over.

Since the original indictment in 2019, Miske faced the promise of dying in prison if convicted.

“We know that early on in this case they were seeking a death penalty, and as it turns out, that’s ultimately not the case. It’s not what ultimately went on. However, when the jury found Michael Miske guilty of all of these various crimes, including murder, racketeering and conspiracy, a life sentence was required,” Chin added.

A spokesman for the federal court in Honolulu said it was unclear how Miske’s death would affect other aspects of his case, such as the forfeiture of more than $20 million in property and assets and the sentencing of related parties for a long list of co-defendants Most of them have reached plea deals or been convicted individually and are awaiting a decision on their own fate.

“I think they’re all going to look at the agreements that they’ve made with the prosecution, if in fact they’ve made a deal. So if there was some kind of sentence that was reduced because of their cooperation with the prosecution, that might need to be reevaluated.”

Miske’s daughter-in-law, Delia Fabro-Miske, was one of the former co-defendants and had been Caleb Miske’s wife and mother of their only child. She also served in various roles in Michael Miske’s companies that were about to be seized. Last January, she reached a plea agreement and cooperation agreement with the government while awaiting sentencing.

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“I am sure the prosecution will work hard to ensure that the jury finds Mr. Miske guilty. This means they are still able to seize the assets. I’m sure they’ll have a lot of very strong arguments as to why they can do something like that,” Chin said.

KHON2 has reached out to Miske’s attorneys and his family for comment and to learn more about what they know or want to know about the circumstances of his death.

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