MELBOURNE, Australia — A former Marine Corps aviator has lost his legal battle to prevent being sent back to the United States to face charges related to allegedly providing unauthorized flight training to Chinese military personnel more than ten years ago.
Daniel Duggan stands accused of instructing Chinese air force pilots during his employment with South Africa’s Test Flying Academy. The 57-year-old Boston native has consistently denied these accusations, claiming they represent political maneuvering and that American authorities are targeting him unjustly.
On Thursday, Federal Court Justice James Stellios dismissed Duggan’s challenge, determining that former Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus committed no legal errors when he approved the extradition request in 2024.
Speaking to media outside the Canberra courthouse, Duggan’s spouse Saffrine — who is raising their six children — indicated that his legal team plans to explore additional appeals. They are also petitioning current Attorney-General Michelle Rowland to overturn the extradition decision.
“We are very disappointed by this ruling and we will consider our options carefully. But make no mistake, we will not give up,” Saffrine Duggan said. “Today does not end our search for justice.”
Rowland’s office has not yet provided a response to requests for comment.
Court documents from Washington D.C., made public in late 2022, contain a 2016 criminal indictment claiming Duggan worked with co-conspirators to train Chinese military aviators during 2010 and 2012, and potentially at other times, without obtaining proper authorization.
Federal prosecutors claim Duggan collected approximately nine payments worth roughly 88,000 Australian dollars (equivalent to $61,000 USD) from a fellow conspirator, plus funded trips to America, South Africa and China for activities sometimes labeled as “personal development training.”
Since his 2022 arrest outside a grocery store near his New South Wales residence, Duggan has remained incarcerated in maximum-security facilities.
