The ex-husband of former Miss Universe Australia Olivia Molly Rogers blew almost half a million dollars on an epic booze, drugs and gambling spree, a court has heard.
Justin McKeone allegedly stole almost $481,490 while working as a financial manager at a Melbourne firm.
On Tuesday he abandoned his defence on a civil claim over the cash, after previously vanishing in November and missing an earlier court date.
The 37-year old was due to appear in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Tuesday to mount a defence to the allegations, but again failed to appear.
According to court documents, he is alleged to have stolen the money during his five-month tenure as Head of Finance at Rocket Brands (Cozmic Sales Pty Ltd).
Supreme Court Associate Justice Ian Irving heard McKeone had spent booty on drugs, alcohol and gambling.
An affidavit submitted to the court alleged employees told Rocket Brands director Matthew Holmes that McKeone was ‘sleeping in the work toilets for up to four hours a day’.
He was also taking excessively long lunch breaks, and frequently leaving the office without completing his duties.
Justin McKeone pictured with ex-wife former Miss Universe Australia Olivia Molly Rogers
His latest non-appearance was the final insult to the court, which has now all but accepted his failure to engage with the hearing as an acceptance of guilt.
McKeone had been dodging court for months, with a previous hearing before Christmas being told he had not made contact with his lawyers since November 11 when he was contacted by lawyers acting for his former employer.
Amid fears for his safety, Daily Mail Australia revealed on December 27 McKeone had moved back to his home state of Western Australia.
He told the court he had engaged Melbourne legal firm Galbally & O’Bryan, which is also defending the man accused of murdering Ballarat mum Samantha Murphy.
But on Tuesday, the court heard Galbally & O’Bryan had dumped McKeone on the eve of Tuesday’s hearing, leaving him to represent himself.
The court was told McKeone joined Rocket Brands last March on a $200,000 a year salary.
But just weeks into his probationary period, staff reportedly raised concerns about his erratic behaviour.
The court heard McKeone admitted to the theft when he was confronted by Holmes in mid-October.
During the meeting, McKeone allegedly confessed to embezzling the cash to fund ‘a very serious drug habit’ and told Holmes he would ‘do his best’ to repay the business.
Bank statements tendered to the court allegedly show McKeone brazenly stole and spent more than $34,000 over a two-day period in August last year.
The records showed McKeone had a little over $1000 in his own account when he is accused of taking more than $6000 in his first four thefts from his bosses, and allegedly blew it all within the week on booze, gambling and drugs.
Barrister Kieren Hickie (left) leaves the Supreme Court of Victoria on Tuesday
The Bachelor Australia 2021‘s Tahnee Leeson (left) has since gone public with her relationship with McKeone. The couple are expecting a baby
Barrister Kieren Hickie, for Rocket Brands, branded it a ‘spending spree’ which did not end until McKeone’s erratic behaviour sparked the owner’s investigation into the company’s finances.
‘(He’s) going on a spending spree for his own personal purposes, depleting his account down to nearly zero,’ he said.
‘What happens next is this pattern repeats itself over and over for a period of about five months. The amount of the theft increases over time.’
McKeone’s boss reported the alleged theft to Victoria Police on October 14, sparking a criminal investigation.
Detectives interviewed McKeone on November 6, but no criminal charges have yet been laid while the investigation continues.
In January, McKeone revealed he was expecting a child with The Bachelor Australia 2021‘s Tahnee Leeson, who he had been in an on-again-off again relationship with since his split with Molly Rogers.
The couple shared their family news with a series of embarrassing photos of them together on a beach.
‘Starting the new year with the most exciting news to date,’ Leeson wrote on the post.
Justin McKeone and ex-wife former Miss Universe Australia Olivia Molly Rogers pictured together in happier times
Olivia Molly Rogers (pictured) has no contact with her estranged husband Justin McKeone
‘Cannot believe how much we love you already. So grateful you chose us.’
McKeone commented under the images: ‘You’re going to be an amazing mum! I cannot wait.’
The court heard McKeone had all but ignored the civil suit and failed to even file a single document in defence of the alleged fraud.
He had also failed to challenge the freezing orders previously granted by the court.
The court heard McKeone had to be contacted by social media or email to offer him an opportunity to argue his case.
The court had already ordered a freeze on McKeone’s assets totalling the amount Rocket Brands claimed he stole between May 23 and October 6.
That order was due to expire last year, but was extended in McKeone’s absence.
The court heard McKeone, who once rubbed shoulders with Melbourne’s high society, had limited access to $800 a week for living costs and $10,000 to pay any legal expenses.
Justin McKeone proposed to former Miss Universe Australia Olivia Molly Rogers
On Tuesday, the court heard his former employer wanted an additional $70,000 from him to cover its legal expenses and another $17,000 in interest on the cash he allegedly stole.
Mr Hickie said the effect of McKeone’s failure to engage with the proceedings allowed the court to accept all of the allegations his former employer made against him as fact.
‘Mr McKeone is taken to admit all of the allegations in the written Statement of Claim and is taken to admit my client’s right to recover damages or compensation in accordance with the facts that my client has alleged,’ he said.
‘Where there is no defence to a Statement of Claim, each of the allegations is taken to be admitted.’
While reserving his decision, Justice Gray indicated he did not have much of any issue with what had been proposed by Mr Hickie.
‘I do want to go through some of the material from today just to satisfy myself, but with the absence of any opposition … I can give a preliminary indication that I don’t see any problems with making the judgement in the terms that you seek,’ he said.
Olivia Molly Rogers (pictured), who divorced from McKeone in 2023, has not commented on the legal case
McKeone allegedly blew almost half a million dollars on an epic booze, drugs and gambling spree (he is pictured with Tahnee Leeson and Justine McKeone enjoy the beach life)
Court documents claim McKeone disguised 114 unauthorised transactions as legitimate supplier payments, funnelling company money into his personal bank account to allegedly fund a drug addiction.
According to court filings, McKeone allegedly used his exclusive access to Rocket’s financial systems to approve and process the payments.
The affidavit claims McKeone manipulated invoices to reflect payments to suppliers like ‘Storage King’ and ‘Net Focus IT’ while redirecting funds into his own Westpac account.
Screenshots submitted to the court allegedly show McKeone editing and approving these allegedly fraudulent transactions using the Xero software program. Holmes told the court he had not authorised any of those payments.
The alleged embezzlement was reportedly hidden in Rocket’s financial statements under the guise of ‘historical adjustments’ totalling $310,878, further complicating the company’s efforts to identify the missing funds.
The company has described his alleged actions in court documents as calculated and damaging, claiming the alleged theft has caused significant financial losses.
The court filing states McKeone’s actions were allegedly a ‘gross breach of trust’ and that the company is ‘not in a position to accept [his] representation’ that he has no money left in his accounts.
Olivia Molly Rogers, who divorced from McKeone in 2023, has not commented on the legal case.
A decision will declared at a date to be fixed.
