By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-25 20:41:21 | Updated at 2024-10-02 08:22:00
6 days ago
As Donald Trump Jr. took an unannounced trip to the Balkans this week, DailyMail.com can reveal his girlfriend Bettina Anderson was involved in a drug scandal that saw her older brother federally indicted.
Don Jr.'s trip to Serbia and Romania was ostensibly to take the message that his father would end Russia’s war in Ukraine, but it also gave him an escape from dealing with fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle and rumors of cheating with Palm Beach socialite Anderson.
But now DailyMail.com has learned Anderson's life as a leading light in the millionaire enclave was almost derailed before it began.
Anderson, whose canoodling with Don Jr. has catapulted her into the national spotlight, was a passenger aboard her brother's private plane flying back into the country in 2015.
Customs officers found Psilocybin or magic mushrooms concealed in one of three cigarette cartons on board, court filings obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com show.
Bettina Anderson's glittering life as a Palm Beach socialite was very nearly derailed when she was embroiled in a drug bust that saw her older brother Loy (at left with Bettina and their brother Kent) federally indicted
Harry Loy Anderson III, now 47, was piloting the aircraft back from a trip to the Bahamas and his younger sister Bettina, 37, (pictured together with Kent on the left) was among three passengers on board
A photo obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com shows Don Jr. having brunch with Palm Beach socialite Bettina Anderson, 37, in mid August – with fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle nowhere in sight
Harry Loy Anderson III, now 47, was piloting the aircraft back from a trip to Eleuthera in the Bahamas and his younger sister Bettina, 37, was among three passengers on board when a search of her brother's bags revealed his apparent attempt to smuggle the controlled substance into the country.
According to the criminal complaint, 'On August 9, 2015, Harry Loy Anderson III, a licensed pilot, entered the United States Customs and Border Protection Private Aircraft facility at Palm Beach International Airport after piloting a private aircraft to West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County… from North Eluthra (sic), Bahamas.'
Loy, as he is known to his family, told officers he had nothing to declare, claimed to have presented all his luggage for inspection, and denied having any alcohol or tobacco aboard.
The former president's son, who began dating Guilfoyle shortly after his split from first wife Vanessa Trump in 2018, was spotted locking lips with the model during the outing, according to witnesses
Bettina Anderson is known for her good works in Palm Beach but she nearly got caught up in a drug bust when her brother was arrested and given four years probation
Bettina was mentioned as a passenger in her brother's bid to modify his bail
But, the subsequent criminal complaint states: 'A search of a tan in color leather bag…revealed three packages of cigarettes located in the tan bag. Two of the packages contained cigarettes.
'The third package, however, contained a silver metallic lining containing what appeared to be Psilocybin Mushrooms (a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance).
'When asked about the mushrooms, …. Anderson became very nervous and stated that those were not his; that he did not smoke or drink.'
Loy was charged on three counts – importation and attempted importation of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance on board an aircraft arriving in the United States, and aiding and abetting
He was then asked if he was carrying the narcotics for anyone else 'to which he answered in the negative'.
A field test revealed the substance to be magic mushrooms.
Loy was arrested and his Miranda rights read at which point agents attempted to interview him but he 'invoked his rights and was unwilling to talk to with agents'.
Loy was charged on three counts – importation and attempted importation of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance on board an aircraft arriving in the United States, and aiding and abetting.
He was released on a $250,000 bond.
The maximum penalty for counts one and two is 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, three years to life term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment fee.
The government sought to prevent Anderson from communicating with Loy following his arrest because as a passenger on the plane she, along with her brother-in-law Brad McPherson who is married to her twin sister Kristina, was a witness.
Lawyers for Loy pushed back against this, and Anderson, McPherson and friends provided affidavits in which they stated this would be an undue hardship as the family was exceptionally close, living near to each other and speaking daily.
Loy in his plane with Kent delivering water following 2017's Hurricane Irma
Loy posted this picture of a private plane in 2017. It is not clear if this is the same plane involved in the drug bust
According to Anderson's affidavit, it would be 'painful' to be precluded from speaking with her brother.
It would also interfere with the volunteer work both undertook as founding members of The Paradise Fund, a non-profit offering aid and collaborating with local agencies in efforts such as post hurricane clear-ups in the Bahamas and at home.
They were eventually allowed to communicate with Loy on the condition that they did not discuss the case.
Ultimately Loy pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of one count of possession of a controlled substance and received a sentence of four years' probation. He was also forced to surrender his pilot's license and fined $5,000.
He had to agree to submit to random searches of his person or property by his probation officer.
In her affidavit Bettina said it would be 'extremely painful' for her to be precluded from speaking to her brother and swore that they would not discuss the case
As DailyMail.com exclusively revealed at the weekend, Bettina was spotted kissing Donald Trump Jr. and putting her hand on his thigh at the Honor Bar in Palm Beach on August 17, leading to speculation that the former president's engagement to Kimberly Guilfoyle, 55, could be in trouble.
'They were definitely on a date,' one witness told us. 'They weren't exactly making out, but the kisses were romantic, and you could tell they were intimate with each other.'
Another said: 'She seemed totally smitten with Don – and he with her.
'They looked totally relaxed, she wearing a white shirt tied off to show her midriff and wide leg pants, he in shorts and a t-shirt.'
Don Jr. and Bettina even told their waiter they were planning a trip together to Islamorada, a resort destination in the Florida Keys.
Neither Don Jr. nor Anderson have addressed their lunch together, although following our Sunday exclusive, Guilfoyle posted pictures of her planting a kiss on her fiancé's cheek at a Saturday campaign event.
