U.S. judge not willing to grant quick bail to men involved in Ghosn’s escape

A U.S. judge stated she is unlikely to quickly release a Massachusetts father and son who have been held on charges they helped smuggle former Nissan Motor CEO Carlos Ghosn out of Japan to Lebanon.

At a Wednesday hearing in Boston, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani stated she was expecting to deny expedited bail to Michael Taylor and Peter Taylor, both who are housed at the suburban Norfolk County Correctional Center, but would re-evaluate the matter in late July.

The Taylors, who were arrested on May 20, have argued they should be freed due to the defects in their arrest warrants and requests they be extradited to Japan.

They have also stated that 36 inmates and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at their jail, and Michael Taylor, a U.S. Army Special Forces veteran, faced an elevated risk as part of his left lung had been removed.

Ghosn was under house arrest in Japan on charges related to financial misconduct until late December, when he was smuggled in a large box to a private jet and flown to Lebanon.

Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan. Prosecutors on Tuesday stated that Ghosn wired $860,000 to a company co-managed by Peter Taylor two months prior to the escape.

At Wednesday’s hearing, federal prosecutor Stephen Hassink stated the Taylors’ multiple properties and familial ties to Lebanon justified their arrest.

“These two defendants present probably the greatest risk not only of fleeing but also being successful in that flight that I’ve certainly seen in my time arguing for detention,” Hassink said.

Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for the Taylors, said that jail posed risk to the health of both Taylors.