Justin McKeone accused of stealing almost $500k from employer

A well-known face on Melbourne’s social circuit and ex-husband of a Miss Universe Australia beauty has been accused of stealing almost half a million dollars from his employer.

Justin McKeone, pictured with ex-wife Olivia Rogers, has been accused of misappropriating almost half a million dollars from his Melbourne employer. Picture: Jay Town

A former high-flyer once married to a Miss Universe Australia beauty has been accused of stealing almost half a million dollars from his Melbourne employer.

Justin McKeone, a well-known face on Melbourne’s social circuit and ex-husband of 2017 Miss Universe Australia winner Olivia Molly Rogers, has been interviewed by police over the alleged theft.

Court documents obtained by the Herald Sun reveal Mr McKeone, who turned 37 on Friday, has been accused by his employer, a pharmaceutical sales company, of misappropriating $481,490.33 amid claims he was acting erratically and even sleeping in the work toilet for up to four hours a day.

Mr McKeone was employed in March 2024 by Cozmic Sales Pty Ltd, which trades as Rocket Brands, as Rocket’s Head of Finance on a salary of $200,000, but months later staff alerted Cozmic Sales director Matthew Holmes that Mr McKeone was acting “erratically”.

“The complaints were to the effect that staff had observed Mr McKeone sleeping in the toilets for between 1 to 4 hours a day, observed Mr McKeone taking 90-minute lunch breaks, and observed Mr McKeone leaving the office regularly without performing his duties,” Mr Holmes stated in an affidavit.

Mr McKeone has been accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from his former employer.

The concerned boss brought in two external accountants to investigate the company’s financial activity during the period of Mr McKeone’s employment which is when the alleged unauthorised transactions were discovered.

The court documents allege that Mr McKeone made 114 unauthorised payments totalling $481,490.33 from the company to his personal bank account between May 23 and October 6, allegedly disguising the majority of the transactions as payments to other businesses.

The court documents state that Mr Holmes met with Mr McKeone on October 14 and asked him about the transactions.

“Mr McKeone told me that he had taken funds from Rocket to support a very serious drug habit. Mr McKeone admitted to theft of company money,” Mr Holmes said in his affidavit.

“Mr McKeone told me that he would do his best to return the money but that he did not have any of the money from the impugned transactions in his bank account.”

Mr McKeone is no longer employed by the company and the court documents reveal Mr Holmes reported the alleged theft to Victoria Police in October.

Justin McKeone with Tahnee Leeson, Brodie Ryan and Nathan Buckley. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

In a statement of claim Cozmic Sales alleges Mr McKeone failed to fulfil his position with Rocket in a professional manner and did not act in the best interests of the business.

It is claimed Rocket suffered loss and damage and has requested that Mr McKeone be “obliged to make restitution to Rocket in the amount of $481,490.33.”

Cozmic Sales trading as Rocket is also seeking access to any profits made from the use of the money involved in the disputed transactions, damages, compensation and costs.

An application by Cozmic Sales for a freezing order against Mr McKeone was filed in the Victorian Supreme Court on October 21 and granted the following day.

Victoria Police confirmed that Yarra Crime Investigation Unit detectives interviewed a 36-year-old South Yarra man on November 6 after approximately $500,000 was allegedly stolen from a Cremorne business over a three-month period this year.

The investigation is ongoing and no charges have been laid.

The couple split in 2022 after just eight months of marriage. Picture: Beck Rocchi Photography

Cozmic Sales, via its legal team KHQ Lawyers, declined to comment.

Mr McKeone was contacted for comment.

Mr McKeone married Ms Rogers in early 2022 only for them to split in October of that year after just eight months of marriage.

The pair was one of ‘young Melbourne’s’ best known and most photographed couples during their glamorous relationship.

Mr McKeone’s friends include Brodie Ryan, the girlfriend of former Collingwood great Nathan Buckley, and he is often seen at Melbourne hotspots Bar Bambi and The Beverley.

Following their high profile relationship, the shock end of Mr McKeone and Ms Rogers’ marriage spawned a deluge of media stories.

Ms Rogers, who held the Miss Universe Australia title in 2017, voiced her dismay to her Instagram community in the months following the end of their union over Mr McKeone’s decision to keep their beloved Chow Chow, Ziggy, and not let her see the dog for months.

Mr McKeone announced Ziggy’s passing from natural causes in January this year.

Ms Rogers famously posted her wedding video following her split from Mr McKeone with Mr McKeone edited out of the footage.

Both Mr McKeone and Ms Rogers have moved on to new relationships. Ms Rogers is dating business consultant Hugo Breakey while Mr McKeone is seeing former contestant on The Bachelor, Tahnee Leeson.