American father-son duo sentenced to prison for helping Carlos Ghosn escape

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(Bloomberg) – The father and son who smuggled Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a major music equipment case have been sentenced to jail for their role in helping former Nissan Motor Co chairman . to flee the trial in 2019.

Michael Taylor, 60, father and former American Green Beret, was sentenced to two years in prison on Monday by the three-judge panel during a hearing in Tokyo that lasted about 20 minutes. Her 28-year-old son Peter Taylor was sentenced to 20 months in prison.

Both pleaded guilty last month to helping Ghosn escape to Beirut, a development just as shocking as the November 2018 arrest of the auto director for alleged financial crimes. With Ghosn out of reach – Lebanon does not extradite its citizens – the couple have become proxies for Ghosn and his case. The same goes for Greg Kelly, a former Nissan manager who was arrested on the same day as his boss and faces trial in Japan. Ghosn and Kelly have denied allegations of underestimating the car executive’s pay.

The fall of Carlos Ghosn at Nissan and the consequences: QuickTake

After spending more than a year in Japan and being released on bail, Ghosn traveled to Osaka Airport on December 29, 2019 by high-speed train. From there, he was transported in a private jet that flew to Istanbul, where he changed planes and flew to Beirut.

“This case allowed Ghosn, accused of a serious crime, to escape abroad,” Chief Justice Hideo Nirei said. Noting that Ghosn has no plans to return to Japan, he added: “A year and a half has passed, but there is no chance that the trial will take place.” The $ 860,000 in payments the Taylors received from Ghosn, part of which was used to finance the former executive’s travel, showed that “the Taylor’s main motive was compensation,” Nirei said.

Prosecutors had recommended more than two years for each, while defense attorneys for the Taylors asked for a conditional sentence.

The couple were held for about 10 months in the United States before being extradited. Chief Justice Nirei said on Monday that time spent in the United States was unrelated to the crime itself and therefore should not be counted. Their detention in Japan before sentencing was taken into account, he said.

The two Taylors, dressed in somewhat crumpled dark suits and surrounded by guards, listened to the judge’s statements without showing much expression. The couple can appeal their conviction within the next 14 days, Nirei said.

Trains, planes and daring: the 5,400 mile escape from Ghosn to Beirut

The Taylors have been involved in legal battles since helping Ghosn escape. After battling extradition charges, the two were brought to Japan in March and held in solitary confinement in a detention center while attending their trial in Tokyo District Court.

The duo apologized to prosecutors and the Japanese justice system during a hearing in late June. Helping Ghosn escape was a mistake, they both said. Michael Taylor has never denied his involvement in the escape, speaking in court about how he organized and carried out the brazen operation. Peter’s role is less clear.

The money used to pay for Ghosn’s escape was transferred through Peter’s company and he met the former auto executive on several occasions in the months leading up to and on the day of the theft, prosecutors say . But Peter testified in court last month that he didn’t know the details of when or how Ghosn planned to escape, and only learned of the ex-president’s escape through after-the-fact reports.

Chief Justice Nirei said on Monday that while Michael had played “the lead role” in the escape, Peter’s role was also “imperative and important.”

(Updates with additional audience details throughout.)

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