BOSTON—A former Green Beret and his son can be extradited to Japan to face criminal charges that they helped former auto titan Carlos Ghosn flee that country last year hidden inside a musical-equipment box, the U.S. State Department ruled, according to court documents.
A federal judge in Boston quickly ordered a stay on the extradition proceedings, however, after lawyers for Michael L. Taylor, 60 years old, and Peter M. Taylor, 27, filed an emergency petition Thursday morning, citing a report that the two were to be put on a plane to Japan at 1 p.m. Eastern time Thursday.
The Taylors’ lawyers told the court they had just been notified of the State Department decision and needed time to review the process under which the agency came to its extradition decision. Their emergency petition included a letter from the State Department, dated Wednesday, saying the department had carefully considered the matter but decided the Taylors should be extradited.
Michael and Peter Taylor were arrested in May at their family home outside Boston on a request from Japanese authorities, who accused the pair of involvement in Mr. Ghosn’s escape from that country, where he was facing financial-crime charges. Mr. Ghosn denies those charges, but fled Japan for Lebanon before the start of a trial.
The U.S. State Department has final say in any extradition request from foreign countries, and the Taylors had appealed to the agency to block such a move.
