- Two of the three accomplices who helped former head of Nissan Carlos Ghosn flee Japan have admitted their role
- Michael and Peter Taylor helped Ghosn flee Japan and received over $500,000 in bitcoin shortly after the job was done
- Ghosn maintains his innocence and says he is providing support to those who stood by him
Two of the three Americans charged with helping the former head of Nissan Carlos Ghosn flee Japan while facing financial misconduct accusations have admitted helping him flee the country in a music equipment box. Michael Taylor and his son Peter were instrumental in helping Ghosn flee Japan while on bail in December 2019 and received over $500,000 in bitcoin in the weeks after Ghosn’s escape. The pair were part of a trio who helped Ghosn illegally leave the country and yesterday admitted their roles to the Tokyo District Court.
Taylor’s Facilitated Risky Escape
Ghosn was the chair of Nissan Motor Co for twenty years until his arrest in November 2018, where he was formally charged with falsifying securities reports and of a breach of trust in using Nissan money for personal gain. He was bailed in April the following year, proclaiming his innocence.
Nevertheless he arranged his escape, allegedly with the help of the three Americans, which was carried out on December 30, 2019; Ghosn was packed into an audio equipment box and flown on two private jets to Beirut via Turkey, which has no extradition treaty with Japan.
Ghosn has continued to proclaim his innocence and said that he only left Japan due to a belief that he wouldn’t get a fair trial. Now his alleged accomplices are left facing the music, ironically at the same court where the Mt. Gox case is being handled.
Peter Taylor Received Bitcoin From Ghosn’s Son
Michael Taylor is an ex-US Army Special Forces soldier who prosecutors allege had previously conducted such operations during his time in the forces. The Taylors were arrested in January 2020 once their involvement came to light, and the bitcoin payments started arriving in instalments shortly afterwards from Ghosn’s Coinbase account to Peter Taylor’s, with 63 being sent in total.
It is not known if this was payment for the job or a way for Ghosn to fund the Taylors’ defense, but the fact that they used Coinbase accounts suggests that they either weren’t bothered about anonymity or did not understand the lack of privacy offered by public exchange accounts.
