A former US Marine who renounced his American citizenship faces extradition from Australia to face federal costs that he illegally educated Chinese language army pilots to land on plane carriers.
Daniel Edmund Duggan, 54, who was arrested in Australia in October and stays in custody, is {accused} of cash laundering and breaking US arms management legal guidelines, based on a 2017 federal indictment unsealed final month.
Final week, the Australian Lawyer-Basic’s Division stated it had authorized a request from US authorities to extradite Duggan to face costs within the District of Columbia.
Nonetheless, Duggan’s legal professional has beforehand indicated he plans to struggle extradition, and the matter will come earlier than an Australian decide subsequent week.
Duggan, who reached the rank of main, flew Harrier jets within the US Marines earlier than leaving the armed forces and shifting to Australia, the place he arrange an organization providing ‘journey flights’.
Daniel Duggan, 54, who was arrested in Australia in October and stays in custody, is {accused} of cash laundering and breaking US arms management legal guidelines
In keeping with the indictment ‘Duggan supplied army coaching to PRC (Individuals’s Republic of China) pilots’ by a South African flight college on three events in 2010 and 2012, whereas he was a U.S. citizen.
The indictment alleges that, working with British and South African con-conspirators, Duggan helped receive a T-2 Buckeye plane, used for coaching Marine and Navy pilots, underneath false pretenses.
The violations he’s {accused} of additionally embody offering aviation providers in China, evaluating Chinese language army pilot trainees, and instruction in touchdown on plane carriers.
He faces 4 U.S. costs, together with conspiracy to export protection providers to China, conspiracy to launder cash, and violating the Arms Export Management Act.
Duggan’s LinkedIn profile lists him because the managing director of AVIBIZ Restricted, ‘a complete aviation consultancy firm with a deal with the quick rising and dynamic Chinese language aviation business.’
Duggan’s lawyer Dennis Miralis couldn’t be reached for remark outdoors of enterprise hours in Sydney.
The indictment alleges that, working with British and South African con-conspirators, Duggan helped receive a T-2 Buckeye plane (just like the one above) underneath false pretenses
China’s third plane service, the Fujian, named after Fujian Province, is seen at a launching ceremony at Jiangnan Shipyard in June 2017
Miralis has stated Duggan was an Australian citizen who renounced his U.S. citizenship and denies breaking any regulation.
Australia obtained an extradition request from america for Duggan on December 9, stated the Lawyer-Basic’s Division, and was required to decide by Dec. 25 as as to if to formally settle for the extradition request.
‘The Lawyer-Basic has complied with this requirement, and Mr Duggan’s lawyer has been knowledgeable of that call,’ the Division stated in an announcement to Reuters.
That signifies the Lawyer-Basic is of the opinion that Duggan is an extraditable individual to america, based on Australia’s Extradition Act 1988.
The extradition matter is subsequent listed earlier than a New South Wales state Justice of the Peace on January 10, the Lawyer-Basic’s Division stated.
Duggan moved to Australia after a decade within the U.S. army and began a enterprise referred to as Prime Gun Tasmania, hiring former U.S. and British army pilots to supply vacationers joyrides in fighter jets, firm data present and aviation sources confirmed.
Duggan additionally flew ex-military plane in Australian air exhibits, three pilots informed Reuters.
Duggan’s lawyer Dennis Miralis, pictured, has stated Duggan was an Australian citizen who renounced his U.S. citizenship and denies breaking any regulation
Prime Gun Tasmania’s web site says Duggan flew Harrier leap jets within the U.S. Marines and was an air fight teacher.
His service included flying missions for Operation Southern Watch within the Persian Gulf from Kuwait and the usBoxer, after the Gulf Battle.
These missions included flying from the British service HMS Invincible.
He moved to Beijing in 2014 and shortly after bought Prime Gun Tasmania, filings in Australia for the corporate present.
Duggan’s LinkedIn profile stated he has been working in Qingdao, China, since 2017 because the managing director of AVIBIZ Restricted, described as ‘a complete aviation consultancy firm with a deal with the quick rising and dynamic Chinese language Aviation Business’.
Hong Kong firm data present AVIBIZ Restricted was registered there by Australian passport holder Daniel Edmund Duggan in 2017 and dissolved in 2020.
