Former Marine accused of training Chinese pilots to be returned to US

Australia has approved the extradition of former U.S. Marine Daniel Duggan as of Monday, Dec. 23, over accusations he illegally trained Chinese pilots. The move, rubber-stamped by Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, puts an end to Duggan’s nearly two-year attempt to avoid a return to the United States.

Dreyfus said he came to the decision that Duggan should be sent back to the U.S. to face prosecution after a New South Wales magistrate found him eligible in May for surrender to American authorities.

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Dreyfus also contends that “given the opportunity” to argue against his surrender to the U.S., Duggan did not do so. Duggan, a 55-year-old naturalized Australian citizen, was arrested in rural New South Wales in 2022 after returning home from China, where he had lived since 2014.

U.S. authorities said that Duggan traveled to Australia, the U.S., China and South Africa between 2009 and 2012. They said Duggan agreed to provide services to a Chinese-owned company, including evaluation of Chinese military pilot trainees and instructions on landing on aircraft carriers.

U.S. prosecutors assert that Duggan reportedly received more than $60,000 for his services. However, Duggan denies the allegations leveled by U.S. law enforcement.

Meanwhile, his lawyers contend that there is no evidence the Chinese aviators trained were military. They also argue he was no longer an American citizen when the alleged offense occurred, and his actions are “not considered a crime in Australia.”

Duggan’s defense notes that their client renounced his American citizenship in 2016 at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, reportedly backdated to 2012 on a certificate. Duggan served in the U.S. Marines for 12 years, and he is a father of six.

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His family told Reuters that they are “devastated by the decision,” and his wife told the news outlet that she received a letter from the government stating Duggan’s extradition will take place between Dec. 30, 2024, and Feb. 17, 2025.

If convicted in the United States, Duggan reportedly faces up to 60 years in prison.