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Carlos Ghosn’s accused accomplices pull US political strings to avoid extradition to Japan
- Lobbyists for Michael Taylor and his son Peter have asked lawmakers to sign a letter calling on the DoJ to support their request for release
- The duo, who are currently in a US jail, allegedly smuggled the ex-Nissan Motor boss out of Japan in a box while he was out on bail
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Two men held in a US jail on charges of engineering ex-Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn’s escape from Tokyo are trying to use political influence to win bail and avoid extradition to Japan.
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Lawyers and lobbyists for former Green Beret Michael Taylor and his son Peter have pressed their case before the US Justice Department and State Department, as well as lawmakers in Congress, according to lobbying disclosure forms and four people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss a politically sensitive matter.
The Taylors have been jailed outside Boston since mid-May, when US authorities arrested them at the request of the Japanese government. While it’s unusual for Americans wanted by other countries to wage a wide-ranging lobbying campaign in Washington, the Taylors’ effort comes as the Trump administration shows a willingness to depart from standard practice in a handful of high-profile criminal cases.
Under previous administrations, lobbying to influence the extradition process would have been “a waste of time and money,” said Pamela Stuart, an extradition lawyer in Washington. But although the Taylors’ chances of swaying the government remain slim, “all bets are off with respect to the Trump administration,” said Stuart, who isn’t involved in the case.
Prosecutors in Boston have argued that the Taylors pose an “exceptionally high” flight risk because of their skill at executing high-stakes escapes and should remain in custody while a US judge decides whether they are eligible to be extradited to Japan.
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As the Taylors seek bail in court, their representatives in Washington have asked lawmakers to sign a letter calling on the Justice Department to support their request for release, according to one of the people familiar with the case.
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