Photos reveal life of Australian Dylan Howard from Geelong at the centre of Donald Trump’s trial
The lifestyle of the globe trotting Australian journalist who went from Geelong to being at the centre of Donald Trump’s criminal trial can now be revealed. See the photos.
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Private jets in New York, yachts on the French Riviera, living large in Las Vegas.
Australian journalist Dylan Howard was a globe trotting executive for the National Enquirer in the United States.
Now, he is at the centre of the world’s biggest trial, named in a court case about a “catch and kill” strategy for Donald Trump during his 2016 election campaign.
Howard, 42, had a meteoric rise from a reporter at his hometown newspaper the Geelong Advertiser where he wrote about sushi store wars to the height of celebrity in America.
His Instagram account, which was open to the public on Friday, details the trappings of his success.
“Who would charter a Piper Saratago on a balmy summer Friday night bound for Martha’s Vineyard?” Howard posted alongside a photograph of the tail of the aircraft.
That flight took him from New Jersey, near Manhattan, to the exclusive island of Martha’s Vineyard, just off Massachusetts.
He also posted an image of $100 bills spread out on a gaming table in Las Vegas and videos of a woman uncorking a bottle of champagne at a nightclub there.
Howard splashed out on visits to Jalisco in Mexico, with snaps of him bathing in an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, as well as trips to France, taking in the sights of Paris, and also visiting the exclusive French Riviera, known as the billionaire’s playground.
Howard posted an image of some of the yachts in Cannes, where the famous film festival is held each year.
“I think the new acquisition would fit in well here on the French Riviera,” he posted.
But while he was rubbing shoulders with the billionaire set in France, he was also putting questions to them in the United States.
Howard’s career hit a speed bump when he was reporting on the affair between Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and TV anchor Lauren Sanchez.
Mr Bezos, one of the world’s richest men, claimed in a blog post on the website Medium in 2019 that Mr Howard had sent an email claiming to have a “dick pic” of the billionaire.
“If in my position I can’t stand up to this kind of extortion, how many people can?” Mr Bezos wrote.
“Of course I don’t want personal photos published, but I also won’t participate in their well-known practice of blackmail, political favours, political attacks. I prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out.”
Howard posted an image of the front page of the National Enquirer when it broke the story of Mr Bezos’ divorce.
“A special edition of the National Enquirer out on newsstands Thursday. 11 pages of world exclusive photos and what really broke up Amazon boss Jeff Bezos and his wife,” he said.
Mr Howard’s lawyer said in a statement on Friday: “Mr Howard’s reporting about Mr Bezos was fair and accurate, and the fundamental integrity of the reporting remains unquestioned.
“My client did not extort him, or anyone else, as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York concluded.
“The self-serving and inaccurate Medium post by Mr Bezos in February 2019 was never the basis for any sustainable allegation against Mr Howard or his then-employer.”
stephen.drill@news.com.au
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Originally published as Photos reveal life of Australian Dylan Howard from Geelong at the centre of Donald Trump’s trial
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