A father and son were sentenced to prison for smuggling Carlos Ghosn out of Japan in a large music equipment case, aiding the former Nissan Motor president in fleeing from trial in 2019. Michael Taylor, 60, a U.S. Army veteran, was sentenced to two years in prison by a panel of three judges on Monday. His son, Peter Taylor, 28, received a sentence of one year and eight months. The pair pleaded guilty last month to charges of helping Ghosn escape to Beirut, which shocked many at the time, just as Ghosn's arrest in November 2018 for alleged financial crimes did.
As Ghosn remained elusive—since Lebanon does not extradite its citizens—Michael and Peter Taylor became central to his case. The same holds true for former Nissan executive Greg Kelly, who was arrested on the same day as Ghosn and is facing trial in Japan. Both Ghosn and Kelly have denied allegations of underreporting compensation and incentives owed to the executive.
After spending over a year in Japan out of prison on bail, Ghosn made his way to Osaka airport on December 29, 2019, via a bullet train. From there, he was flown on a private jet to Istanbul and then to Beirut.
Chief judge Hideo Neri stated, "This case enabled Ghosn, accused of committing a serious crime, to escape abroad," noting that Ghosn "does not intend to return to Japan." He also added, "It has been a year and a half since his escape, but there are no prospects for the trial."
Prosecutor Ryuzo Kitajima stated on July 2 that the actions of the Taylors meant that "the ability to trace the truth faces a dead end," considering Ghosn's escape to have been systematically planned over more than six months. While Michael led the operation, Peter's role was also significant; consequently, prosecutors sought sentences of more than two years for each.
Defense attorneys requested a suspended sentence for the father and son, who spent 10 months in the U.S. before their extradition. Keiichi Isagi, attorney for the Taylors, mentioned in a previous hearing that Ghosn was behind the scenes planning all the key matters.
The Taylors have been embroiled in legal battles since assisting Ghosn's escape. After facing several months in American courts seeking their extradition, they were brought to Japan in March, placed in solitary confinement before being taken to the Tokyo District Court.
Japanese law punishes the crime of harboring a fugitive or enabling an escape with up to three years in prison. The duo apologized to the prosecutors and the Japanese judicial system in a hearing in late June, both admitting that helping Ghosn escape was a mistake. Michael Taylor did not deny his involvement in Ghosn's escape and discussed in court how he organized and executed the bold operation, while Peter's role was less clear.
It is noted that the funds used to pay for Ghosn's escape were funneled through Peter’s company, as the former automaker chief met several times with him on the day of the escape and in the months leading up to it, according to prosecutors, although Peter testified in court last month that he did not know the details of when or how Ghosn planned to escape and only learned about the escape through reports after the incident.
