Two men accused of aiding ex-Nissan chairman’s escape arrested in Massachusetts

Two men who are accused by Japanese authorities of aiding former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn in his escape from Japan were arrested in Massachusetts on Wednesday, and are set to appear by video in court this afternoon.

Bloomberg reported that Michael Taylor and son Peter Maxwell Taylor are accused of helping Ghosn escape Japan via plane ahead of Ghosn’s trial for allegedly under-reporting his income and misuse of company funds. Ghosn has denied the charges and alleged that he will not get a fair trial in Japan, and late last year fled the country for Lebanon, where he is a citizen.

At least one of the Taylors, Peter, planned to fly Wednesday to Beirut, where Ghosn is currently living, prosecutors said.

“Peter Taylor is not just capable of fleeing while on bond — he is an expert in the subject,” read a U.S. court filing obtained by Bloomberg. “The plot to spirit Ghosn out of Japan was one of the most brazen and well-orchestrated escape acts in recent history, involving a dizzying array of hotel meetups, bullet train travel, fake personas, and the chartering of a private jet.”

Prosecutors are reportedly asking that the Taylors be held without bail ahead of their possible extradition to Japan.

Ghosn was fired by Nissan in 2018 after it said an internal investigation corroborated the claims made against him by Japanese prosecutors.