The estranged husband of former Miss Universe Olivia Molly Rogers has gone missing amid claims he stole half a million dollars while working as a financial manager at a Melbourne firm.
Justin McKeone is alleged to have stolen $481,490.33 from his employer during his five-month tenure as Head of Finance at Rocket Brands (Cozmic Sales Pty Ltd).
The 37-year old was due to appear in the Supreme Court of Victoria on Thursday to respond to a civil application to place a freezing order on his assets, but failed to appear.
The court heard McKeone had not made contact with his lawyers since November 11 when he was contacted by lawyers acting for his former employer.
McKeone has not responded publicly to the allegations, and his LinkedIn profile and Instagram account have since been deactivated.
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 on Thursday, 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.
McKeone joined Rocket Brands in March this year on a $200,000 annual salary. But just weeks into his probationary period, staff reportedly raised concerns about his erratic behaviour.
An affidavit submitted to the court by Rocket Brands director Matthew Holmes reveals he was told by other employees that McKeone was ‘sleeping in the work toilets for up to four hours a day’, taking excessively long lunch breaks, and frequently leaving the office without completing his duties.
Court documents obtained by Daily Mail claim McKeone admitted to the theft when confronted by Holmes in mid-October.
During the meeting, McKeone allegedly confessed he embezzled the money to fund ‘a very serious drug habit’ and told Holmes he would ‘do his best’ to repay the business.
On Thursday, barrister Kieren Hickie, for Rocket Brands, called on the court to extend the freezing order to any international assets McKeone might have hidden abroad.
The court heard McKeone had failed to comply with a ‘disclosure notification’ that was due in on November 24 despite assurances he would engage a lawyer to act on his behalf.
Rocket Brands asked Justice Peter Gray to make an interlocutory judgment – a non-final judgment that resolves an element of a claim or another issue without deciding the full case – awarding it restitution for the full amount and its legal costs.
‘My client does seek to proceed by seeking interlocutory judgement be entered against the defendant with damages to be assessed,’ Mr Hickie said.
The company also asked that its legal costs be borne by McKeone.
‘We are here today, plainly the defendant is in default of filing any appearance. It would be the just, timely and cost efficient resolution of this dispute that interlocutory judgement be entered,’ Mr Hickie said.
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.
Holmes reported the alleged theft to Victoria Police on October 14.
Detectives from the Yarra Crime Investigation Unit interviewed McKeone on November 6, but no criminal charges have yet been laid as the investigation continues.
In the civil law case, Rocket Brands is seeking full restitution and has accused McKeone of breaching his duties as a senior manager.
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 split from McKeone last year, has not commented on the legal case.
Justice Gray extended the freezing order to April next year and agreed to an interlocutory decision paving the way for an assessment for damages against McKeone to get underway should he remain uncontactable.