Former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan, who faces extradition to the U.S., assisted in training Chinese aviators to land on aircraft carriers, according to a 2017 indictment.
Duggan, a naturalized Australian, "provided military training to [People's Republic of China] pilots" at least three times from 2010 to 2012, according to the document unsealed in December by the District of Columbia court.
The training was offered through a South African flight academy. The school hired teachers with "knowledge and experience in naval aviation meeting [NATO] standards," the document said. The training took place in China, South Africa, and other locations.
"These services included the evaluation of military pilot trainees, testing of naval aviation-related equipment, and instructions on tactics, techniques and procedures associated with launching from and landing on a naval aircraft carrier," the indictment read.
At about the same time, Duggan allegedly received 12 payments totaling approximately $80,000 for providing "personal development training" and other services to Chinese pilots, actions U.S. prosecutors say violated an arms and defense services embargo on China.
The document stated that Duggan negotiated directly with an unnamed Chinese national and was paid by the person's China-based business. In China in 2012, while negotiating terms, Duggan wrote an email stating that "he hoped his children would be set for life as a result."
Duggan flew for the U.S. Marine Corps between 1989 and 2002. He later renounced his U.S. citizenship after moving to Australia, where he was naturalized in 2012, according to his family.
The State Department notified Duggan as early as 2008 to apply for written authorization before he could instruct foreign pilots, read the court document, which references eight unnamed co-conspirators, including a former U.S. Navy officer and fighter pilot.
"Neither Duggan nor any of his coconspirators applied for a license from the United States government to provide defense services to any foreign nationals," the indictment said.
Duggan faces four charges: conspiracy to unlawfully export defense services to China, conspiracy to launder money, and two counts of arms exports and trafficking violations.
Duggan's associates allegedly used false information to acquire a T-2 Buckeye, an aircraft used for training operations.
At the request of the FBI, the Australian police arrested Duggan on Oct. 21, 2022, in the New South Wales town of Orange. His extradition request was approved on Dec. 9. A state magistrate will hear the case on Jan. 10.
After retiring, Duggan founded the aviation company in Tasmania called Top Gun, which was deregistered in 2017, according to the country's business register.
The company's website described Duggan as a "senior weapons and tactical instructor" who has conducted hundreds of landings on seven different aircraft carriers during his time with the Marines.
Duggan's attorney, Dennis Miralis, told the press his client did not breach any U.S., Australian, or international laws. An online petition for his release created by his wife, Saffrine, described her husband as being "caught in a geopolitical storm for working in China." She said the case is "clearly politically motivated."
"Daniel now finds himself a victim of the United States government's political dispute with China, by no fault of his own," the petition read. "Australians will not stand for interference by the United States in our country."
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