Current:Home > ScamsAmerican ex-fighter pilot accused of illegally training Chinese aviators can be extradited to U.S., Australian judge says-LoTradeCoin
American ex-fighter pilot accused of illegally training Chinese aviators can be extradited to U.S., Australian judge says
View Date:2024-12-23 18:21:51
A Sydney judge on Friday ruled that former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan can be extradited to the United States on allegations that he illegally trained Chinese aviators, leaving the attorney-general as Duggan's last hope of remaining in Australia.
Magistrate Daniel Reiss ordered the Boston-born 55-year-old to remain in custody awaiting extradition.
While his lawyers said they had no legal grounds to challenge the magistrate's ruling that Duggan was eligible for extradition, they will make submissions to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on why the pilot should not be surrendered.
"The attorney will give us sufficient time, I'm quite sure, to ventilate all of the issues that under the Extradition Act are not capable of being run in an Australian court," Duggan's lawyer, Bernard Collaery, told reporters outside court.
Dreyfus' office said in a statement the government does not comment on extradition matters.
Duggan's wife and mother of his six children, Saffrine Duggan, said the extradition court hearing was "simply about ticking boxes."
"Now, we respectfully ask the attorney-general to take another look at this case and to bring my husband home," she told a gathering of reporters and supporters outside court.
Earlier this month, Duggan's lawyer said in a legal filing that the pilot unknowingly worked with a Chinese hacker, the Reuters news agency reported.
The pilot has spent 19 months in maximum-security prison since he was arrested in 2022 at his family home in the state of New South Wales.
In a 2016 indictment from the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., unsealed late 2022, prosecutors say Duggan conspired with others to provide training to Chinese military pilots in 2010 and 2012, and possibly at other times, without applying for an appropriate license.
Prosecutors say Duggan received about nine payments totaling around 88,000 Australian dollars ($61,000) and international travel from another conspirator for what was sometimes described as "personal development training."
A highly regarded jet pilot, Duggan spent 12 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, reaching the rank of major and working as a tactical flight instructor before immigrating to Australia in 2002. In January 2012, he gained Australian citizenship, choosing to give up his U.S. citizenship in the process.
The indictment says Duggan traveled to the U.S., China and South Africa, and provided training to Chinese pilots in South Africa.
Duggan has denied the allegations, saying they were political posturing by the United States, which unfairly singled him out.
Duggan worked at a company called Top Gun Tasmania, which billed itself as the Australia's "premier adventure flight company."
On the company's now-defunct web page, Duggan described himself as a "former U.S. Marine Corps officer of over 12 years." He flew missions in support of Operation Southern Watch from Kuwait and the USS Boxer, the website says.
"As a highly trained fighter pilot, he flew harrier jump jets off of aircraft carriers tactically around the globe," the website said.
AFP contributed to this report.
- In:
- U.S. Marine Corps
- Australia
- China
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Mississippi man charged with shooting 5 people after not being allowed into party
- Even with school choice, some Black families find options lacking decades after Brown v. Board
- When does 'Bridgerton' Season 3 Part 2 come out? Release date, cast, how to watch new episodes
- What the 'Young Sheldon' finale means: From Jim Parsons' Sheldon return to the last moment
- Could trad wives, influencers have sparked the red wave among female voters?
- Conservative activist’s son sentenced to nearly 4 years in prison for ‘relentless’ attack on Capitol
- Houston in 'recovery mode' after storm kills 4, widespread power outages
- Morehouse College to cancel commencement if President Joe Biden's speech is disrupted
- South Carolina lab recaptures 5 more escaped monkeys but 13 are still loose
- The making of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
Ranking
- South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
- Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs abuse allegations: A timeline of key events
- Donald Trump will address the NRA in Texas. He’s called himself the best president for gun owners
- These Are the Highest-Rated, Affordable Hoop Earrings From Amazon
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Red Velvet, Please
- Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption trial continues with more FBI testimony about search of home
- Roth 401(k) employer matches may trigger a tax bill for you. Here's what you need to know.
- Giuliani becomes final defendant served indictment among 18 accused in Arizona fake electors case
Recommendation
-
'Bizarre:' Naked man arrested after found in crawl space of California woman's home
-
Bodycam footage shows aftermath of Florida bus crash that killed at least 8
-
Singer Zach Bryan and girlfriend Brianna LaPaglia shaken after 'traumatizing' car accident
-
New endangered listing for rare lizard could slow oil and gas drilling in New Mexico and West Texas
-
How Alex Jones’ Infowars wound up in the hands of The Onion
-
New Hampshire Senate tables bill inspired by state hospital shooting
-
This week on Sunday Morning: By Design (May 19)
-
Stockholm secret songs: Taylor Swift to perform three acoustic sets for Eras Tour