Daniel Edmund Duggan, a former United States Marine who is 54 years old and an Australian citizen, is accused in an indictment of receiving $100,000 for mentoring Chinese pilots in landing on an aircraft carrier. The document lays out the financial details tied to these activities, including payments that totaled twelve installments of about $9,900 or $9,500 each, with many receipts labeling the payments as for “personal development training.”
According to the indictment, an unnamed businessman who was involved in purchasing military gear and items for the government and armed forces of the People’s Republic of China processed these funds. The case portrays Duggan as negotiating with a Chinese national to deliver extra services to a state-owned enterprise. Those services reportedly covered evaluating military trainee pilots, testing naval aviation equipment, and offering instruction on tactics, methodologies, and procedures for take-off and landing on a seaplane carrier.
The charges previously associated with Duggan include conspiracy to defraud the United States by conspiring to unlawfully export defense services to China, conspiracy to launder money, and two violations of arms export control laws and related international arms trade regulations.
In December 2022, the Australian government approved a request for Duggan to be extradited to the United States to face these charges, marking a significant step in the legal process surrounding the case.