EXCLUSIVE
Former NRL star Braith Anasta’s ex-fiancée Rachael Lee will have to wait at least nine months before finding out if her new boyfriend will return to prison.
Evan Faulks, a member of the famous Bra Boys surf gang, was arrested in March last year as part of an investigation into an alleged drug importation ring and will not face a hearing until next February.
Faulks was granted $200,000 bail in November and three weeks later he uploaded a video to Instagram of himself carrying a bag of his belongings as he walked out of custody jumping for joy.
The video was captioned: “Best feeling I’ve ever experienced and I never want to feel it again.”
In May, the 37-year-old uploaded a black-and-white image of himself leaving court which Lee then reposted on his own social media.
Lee and Faulks, who reportedly met at Crown Plaza in Coogee over Christmas, were photographed together in public for the first time on Wednesday night, celebrating her 36th birthday.
TV host Braith Anasta’s ex-fiancée Rachael Lee will have to wait at least nine months before finding out if her new boyfriend Evan Faulks will go to prison. Lee and Faulks appear together on April 8 celebrating her 36th birthday.
The couple arrived at the Hijinx Hotel in the city center of Alexandria, Sydney, with Rachael’s son Addison, 13, and daughter Gigi, five, who she shares with TV presenter Anasta.
Faulks’ court case was heard at Downing Center Local Court on Tuesday, but he did not have to appear in person because he was represented by a lawyer.
The professional surfer was extradited last year from Queensland following an 18-month investigation into cocaine and methamphetamine shipments allegedly intercepted by US authorities.
Faulks, who police say is a “high-ranking member” of the Bra Boys, was originally charged with running a criminal operation that imported and distributed $12.6 million worth of drugs in Sydney.
On March 19, police dropped a charge that Faulks had knowingly directed the activities of a criminal group and knowingly handled the proceeds of crime with the intention of concealing them.
On the same day he pleaded not guilty to dealing with property worth $266,954 suspected to be the proceeds of crime between September 2016 and May 2017.
Evan Faulks, a member of the famous Bra Boys surf gang, was arrested in March last year as part of an investigation into an alleged drug importation ring and will not face a hearing until next February. He is pictured outside the courthouse.
On Tuesday, Magistrate Daniel Covington heard that Faulks maintained his plea of not guilty to the proceeds of crime and set the matter for a four-hour hearing on February 4.
Faulks faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison if convicted.
Anasta and Lee confirmed their separation in November 2022 after observers noticed that they had unfollowed each other on Instagram and that she was no longer wearing her engagement ring.
A month later, Lee launched her romance with Blake Hillen, a bricklayer and amateur boxer from the Sutherland Shire in southern Sydney.
At the time, Lee posted a photo on Instagram of her on the beach with Hillen as they shared a bottle of wine and watched the sunset.
Hours later, Anasta posted an inspiring quote on Instagram about moving forward and “not looking back.”
“Don’t look back, you’re not going that way,” the quote reads alongside a photo of a lion.
Rachael Lee (above) and Braith Anasta confirmed their split in November 2022 after observers noticed that they had unfollowed each other on Instagram and that she was no longer wearing her engagement ring.
A source told Daily Mail Australia in 2023 that Lee and Hillen were “inseparable” but that relationship soon ended.
Faulks and Lee’s romance was first revealed in March.
Lee went braless when the couple made their public debut last Wednesday, showing off her abs in a gray cropped T-shirt paired with high-waisted jeans.
She draped a leather jacket over one arm and completed her look with a black Chanel bag and white sneakers.
Faulks was wearing an Adidas T-shirt, white chinos and a black Nike baseball cap.
The couple was seen smiling and chatting as they walked side by side through the parking lot toward the indoor amusement center.
Faulks is under strict bail conditions, including reporting to Maroubra police station three times a week while awaiting a court hearing.
You must not take any medication other than those prescribed by a doctor, not participate in any type of game, not apply for a new passport or travel within 500 meters of an international departure point.
Faulks successfully sought to have his bail conditions varied in March so he could travel to the Gold Coast and take a holiday in Bryon Bay.
Braith shares his five-year-old daughter Gigi with his ex Rachael. While Rachael has a son, Addison, 13, from a previous partner. Pictured with Braith’s nine-year-old daughter Aleeia (far left), who he co-parents with his ex Jodi Gordon.
Anasta played 288 rugby league games for the Bulldogs, Roosters and Wests Tigers and is now a commentator for Fox Sports, where he presents NRL 360.
He married actress and model Jodi Gordon in October 2012 and their daughter Aleeia was born in March 2014.
They confirmed their separation in December 2015 and divorced in 2017.
Anasta, 42, is now dating a hairdresser and mother of two. Evie Tziomakis, and the couple confirmed their relationship in December.