Tokyo court jails US citizens over Carlos Ghosn escape

The now fugitive former Nissan chairman, who was facing trial for financial misconduct, was smuggled out of Japan in a box.

A court in Tokyo on Monday sentenced two US citizens to prison for helping former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn escape Japan where he faced criminal charges of financial misconduct. Michael Taylor, a US military veteran, was sentenced to two years in prison, while his son, Peter, was given a term of one year and eight months. Both had pleaded guilty to smuggling Ghosn out of the country hidden in a box. “This case enabled Ghosn, a defendant of serious crime, to escape overseas,” Hideo Nirei, the chief judge, said while explaining the judgement. “One year and a half has passed, but there is no prospect of the trial being held.”