(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Bloomberg
New York: The former US Green Beret who smuggled Carlos Ghosn out of Japan has been released from a detention center in Los Angeles, where he was being held since being transferred to the US after serving more than a year in prison in the Asian nation.
Michael Taylor and his son Peter Taylor pleaded guilty last year to helping Ghosn flee trial in late 2019 and make his way to Beirut. The former chairman of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA was arrested in Japan in 2018 on charges of underreporting income and other corporate crimes, which he has denied.
Peter Taylor, who confirmed Michael's release on Monday to Bloomberg News, left the detention center earlier this month after being flown to the US in late October with his father. The Federal Bureau of Prisons freed Michael Taylor ahead of his scheduled release date in January, giving him credit for the months he was detained in the US before extradition to Japan.
A spokesperson at the Japanese Justice Ministry's Bureau of Corrections declined to comment.
With Ghosn out of reach -- Lebanon doesn't extradite its citizens -- the pair's trial became a proxy in Japan for Ghosn and his case. Greg Kelly, a former Nissan director who was detained on the same day as his boss, was exonerated of most charges and left Japan earlier this year. He is appealing the guilty verdict on the other charges.
Michael Taylor received a sentence of two years while Peter was ordered to serve 20 months in prison.
The Taylors have apologized to prosecutors and Japan's justice system, saying that helping Ghosn flee was a mistake. Michael Taylor has never denied his involvement in the escape, speaking in court last year about how he organized and carried out the brazen operation. Peter's role is less clear.
After spending time in jail in Japan, Ghosn was free on bail when he staged his escape. Ghosn traveled to Osaka's airport on Dec. 29, 2019, by bullet train. From there, he was rolled onto a private jet inside a musical instrument case and flown to Istanbul, where he switched planes and made his way to Beirut.
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