Former U.S. Marine pilot Daniel Duggan will be extradited from Australia to the United States to face charges of illegally training Chinese military pilots. The decision, announced Monday by Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, concludes Duggan’s nearly two-year legal battle to remain in Australia.
Duggan, 55, originally from Boston, served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 12 years before emigrating to Australia, where he renounced his U.S. citizenship. He has been held in a maximum-security prison since his 2022 arrest at his family home in New South Wales.
Dreyfus confirmed the extradition approval but did not specify the timing of Duggan’s transfer.
“Duggan was given the opportunity to present reasons against extradition. I carefully considered all material before making my decision,” Dreyfus said in a statement.
The extradition request stems from a 2016 indictment unsealed in late 2022 by the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors allege that Duggan, between 2010 and 2012, conspired to provide training to Chinese military pilots without securing the required license.
The indictment claims Duggan received approximately AUD 88,000 (USD 61,000) and international travel from a co-conspirator in exchange for what was described as “personal development training.”
If convicted, Duggan faces up to 60 years in prison. Duggan has consistently denied the allegations.
In May, a Sydney judge ruled that Duggan could be extradited to the U.S., leaving the decision in the hands of the attorney general as Duggan’s last recourse to avoid extradition.
Duggan’s wife, Saffrine Duggan, expressed her disappointment with the Australian government’s decision.
“We feel abandoned by the Australian government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family,” she said in a statement. “We are now considering our options.”
