A former financial officer at a construction payroll company has admitted stealing almost $840,000 to pay the debt of a Melbourne sex worker he claims to have fallen in love with, to release her from her life as a courtesan.
Rukesh Sadhai, 49, pleaded guilty in the County Court on Wednesday to funnelling $838,779.56 into personal accounts nominated by the sex worker by issuing 36 false leave invoices between 2012 and 2013 while he worked at construction payroll company CoINVEST.
Sadhai's lawyer, Phillip Dunn, QC, told Judge Richard Maidment his client's "unusual" theft was driven by his love for the sex worker he had become involved with, who told Sadhai she was working off a debt she had incurred by migrating to Australia.
"The unusual features [of this case] start to creep in when we realise that the offending occurred during a precise period of time when his father was dying, that his marriage was failing, and unfortunately for him, he'd fallen head over heels in love with a sex worker," Mr Dunn said.
"It was his understanding that she had inherited debt. She was a Korean student [who] had to work as a prostitute in order to repay the inherited debt."
Sadhai claimed the woman took the money so she would no longer have to take part in sex work. The proceeds, which formed the basis of four charges laid by police earlier this year, were paid into five different bank accounts that she nominated.
"None of the money came to him, all the money went somewhere else," Mr Dunn said. "Men are like children in many ways and particularly in affairs of the heart, and quite simplistic in some ways."
Mr Dunn said when police spoke to Sadhai about the theft, he told them he was saving the woman, and that he loved her. Police responded, according to Mr Dunn, that he "might be being scammed", to which he replied: "No, I love her."
Sadhai first falsely claimed that CoINVEST owed a construction employee $21,633.24 in unpaid long service leave in March 2012, which he funnelled to a personal account. He then made similar claims for $65,001.06, $385,400.71 and $366,714.55 over the next year.
Mr Dunn said Sadhai realised he might be the victim of a scam when the woman he loved continued to work as a sex worker even after he had given her hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"That was met with arguments and the sudden severance of the relationship," Mr Dunn said.
"The penny dropped," Judge Maidment said.
"With a big thud," Mr Dunn replied.
Judge Maidment criticised investigators for taking so long to investigate and charge Sadhai, labelling the delay "inexcusable", but said it had provided Sadhai with an opportunity to begin his rehabilitation.
"Mr Dunn has pointed out in his written submissions, there's a serious detriment in one sense, to him, but on the other hand, [there] is the opportunity of getting on with his rehabilitation and proving himself capable of not just staying out of trouble, but turning his life around," he said.
Until recently, Sadhai has been the chief executive at Lyons College, a Melbourne school that caters to international students. His employment ceased with the college in December 2020 and he hasn't been associated with the institution since.
Sadhai did not have a criminal record and was not in prison before the hearing on Wednesday. Judge Maidment revoked Sadhai's bail on Wednesday as he was remanded in police custody. He will return for sentencing on November 17.
