Prison terms for father-son team who aided Ghosn's escape show court mood

TOKYO — Japan's judicial system scored its first victory in the Carlos Ghosn saga last week by sentencing to prison the American father-son team that humiliated prosecutors by secretly spiriting the indicted former Nissan chairman out of Japan in an oversized trunk.

The sentence — two years for the father, as the purported mastermind of the escape — fell short of the time requested by prosecutors. But the punishment shows the mindset of Japanese judges dealing with the Ghosn affair and may foreshadow what awaits former Nissan director Greg Kelly, another American on trial in Tokyo for his alleged role in the scandal.

Testimony in the Kelly case ended in early July, but a verdict is months away.

Unlike the Taylors, who pleaded guilty to helping Ghosn jump bail and flee the country, Kelly maintains his innocence. So does his former boss Ghosn, who lives as a fugitive in Lebanon.

In the Taylor case, Chief Judge Hideo Nirei clearly had Ghosn in his sights in handing down his sentences. Michael Taylor, 60, the former Green Beret who Nirei said led the "unprecedented escape," was sentenced to two years. His son Peter Taylor, 28, was given one year and eight months in light of his role as a supporting player in the plot.

"Because of this case, Ghosn, a defendant facing serious charges, was able to escape overseas," Nirei said of the Taylors during a hearing held under tight security. "It has been one and a half years since the escape and there is still no prospect of a trial. The consequences of this case are very large."

In recognition of the defendants' reputations as professional escape artists, the court gallery was ringed by eight security guards. Michael and Peter Taylor were led into and out of the chamber in handcuffs and each flanked by two bailiffs the entire time. Public spectators, including journalists, were subject to body checks and metal detectors before entering the courtroom.

Prosecutors had sought a two-year, 10-month sentence for Michael Taylor, and a two-year, six-month sentence for Peter. Defense lawyers argued for suspended sentences.

The judge declined to match the prosecutor's request and then said 90 days would be deducted from each sentence in lieu of time spent jailed during the trial.

"Based on the gravity of the case, the roles of both individuals, a prison sentence cannot be avoided," the judge said, adding they "executed a highly premeditated plan proactively."

The Taylors had faced a maximum penalty of three years in prison. Japanese media reported that the Americans do not intend to appeal their sentences.

By contrast, Kelly is indicted on a charge of criminal financial misconduct and could face up to 15 years if found guilty.

The Taylors conceded the facts of the escape outlined in court by the prosecutors — that they met Ghosn at the Tokyo Grand Hyatt hotel on Dec. 29, 2019, and escorted him on a cross-country bullet train dash to the city of Osaka.

There, they packed him into an oversized audio equipment trunk and smuggled him past lax security onto a chartered jet. They flew him out that evening, and Ghosn landed in Beirut — beyond the reach of extradition to Japan — on Dec. 30.

On Dec. 31, 2019, Ghosn stunned the world and embarrassed Japan by issuing a press release saying, "I have not fled justice — I have escaped injustice and political persecution."

The Taylors petitioned the court for leniency, citing extenuating circumstances. They argued that they were distantly related to Ghosn and that they had been misled into believing Ghosn was being tortured in Japan and that it was not a violation of Japanese law to help someone jump bail.

The judge didn't buy it, contending that they were mostly in it for the money. Of the $860,000 Ghosn paid them, they used only $400,000 to charter the getaway jet and put the bulk of the remainder into their own companies and coffers, the judge said.

"Their main motive in this case," Nirei said, "was the compensation."

In December, the online entertainment site Deadline reported that Oscar-winning actor Sam Rockwell would star as Michael Taylor in a feature-length film about the disappearing act developed along with a TV series by Vanity Fair Studios and MGM/UA TV.

Naoto Okamura contributed to this report.