Ex-Nissan CEO paid $500,000 in cryptocurrency to escape Japan, says US

US prosecutors allege that Anthony Ghosn, the son of Nissan’s ex-chairman Carlos Ghosn, paid $500,000 in cryptocurrency to one of the US residents who allegedly helped fly his father out of Japan, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. His father had been accused of financial crimes there.

From 2018, Carlos Ghosn was living in a court-monitored home in Tokyo. Then, in December 2019, he carried out a Hollywood-style escape from Japan to Lebanon—hidden inside a musical equipment box.

Ghosn was reportedly helped by former US Army Special Forces veteran Michael Taylor and his son Peter, with the latter receiving the $500,000 in cryptocurrency.

To corroborate their findings, federal prosecutors presented documents from crypto exchange Coinbase demonstrating the alleged transfers from Anthony Ghosn to Peter Taylor, the WSJ noted.

Prosecutors added these documents to a filing that argued against Tailors’ bid to be released on bail, noting that they “now have access to Ghosn’s vast resources with which to flee.”

Both Taylors are currently being held in a county jail outside Boston while Japanese authorities requested their extradition for illegal harboring of a criminal.

Prior to that, the elder Ghosn also reportedly wired $862,500 to a company associated with Peter Taylor, right before his December escape. Ghosn later commented on this, saying that he was “helping everyone who stood by me as much as I can, financially and in any way I can.”

In his career, Ghosn served as the CEO of Michelin North America, chairman and CEO of Renault, chairman of AvtoVAZ and chairman and CEO of Nissan. In November 2018, he was arrested in Japan after allegedly violating the country’s financial law.

In particular, Nissan claimed that for many years Ghosn has been understating his compensation in the Tokyo Stock Exchange securities reports and “numerous other significant acts of misconduct have been uncovered, such as personal use of company assets.”