A beauty entrepreneur claims one of Australia’s richest men expected her to have sex with him if he invested in her wellness business.
Linda Rogan claims she realized tech billionaire Richard White wanted a sexual relationship when he booked them a single suite at New York’s Park Lane Hotel.
Ms Rogan, who owns a laser clinic in Double Bay in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, says she met Mr White, 69, through his partner Zena Nasser.
The mother of three is fighting a bankruptcy filing against her by the founder of WiseTech Global – worth an estimated $9.7 billion – after their alleged sexual relationship fell apart.
Ms Rogan, 55, took her own legal action against Mr White last year when she claimed he bought her a $13.1 million house in Vaucluse in September 2022.
She successfully applied to the local court for an order to reimburse Mr White for the $92,123 she allegedly spent on furnishing the house.
Mr White in turn pursued Ms Rogan with bankruptcy proceedings launched in the Federal Court in August.
Ms Rogan claims she was locked out of the Vaucluse mansion in October 2022 when Ms Nasser, a former criminal lawyer, learned she was having sex with Mr White.
Linda Rogan (above) claims she realized tech billionaire Richard White wanted a sexual relationship when he booked them a single suite at New York’s Park Lane Hotel
Details of the dispute have emerged in documents tendered to the Federal Court and obtained by The Australian Newspaper, among others.
Ms Rogan met Mr White through Ms Nasser, who she said first contacted her via Instagram in June 2022 with a message describing her as a “stunning lady”.
According to court documents, Ms. Nasser visited Ms. Rogan’s Rose Bay clinic Bionik Wellness a month later.
“During this meeting, Zena Facetimed Richard White, who I believed was her partner, and introduced me to Richard via Facetime,” Ms. Rogan wrote in an affidavit.
According to Ms Rogan’s affidavit, Ms Nasser invited her to dinner at Bambini Trust Restaurant & Wine Room in Sydney’s central business district the following month.
‘During dinner, Richard said words to me to the effect: “I am an entrepreneur. I have a company, WiseTech. I’m a billionaire,’” Ms. Rogan said in her affidavit.
Beauty entrepreneur Linda Rogan says she met Richard White, who has an estimated net worth of $9.7 billion, through his partner Zena Nasser. Mr. White and Mrs. Nasser are pictured
Ms Rogan said that after that dinner, Mr White sent her a WhatsApp message saying: ‘I want to make you and your business ideas hugely successful – here’s how you can pay me back… financial freedom is empowerment.
“And life is short – so I want you to double down and build this thing,” he allegedly wrote.
Ms. Rogan said that while Mr. White seemed interested in Bionik Wellness, he told her “we need to get your partners out.”
One of Ms. Rogan’s partners was her husband, Gil Sartena, from whom she had been separated since 2017 but still shared a home.
“When I met Richard, I honestly believed he was interested in investing in my company,” Ms. Rogan said in her affidavit.
‘I was separated from my husband and caring for three children, and my teenage son had only recently suffered a devastating brain injury.
‘After a few weeks I realized that Richard was pursuing a sexual relationship.’
Ms. Rogan said that Mr. White told her at another dinner in August 2022 that he had bought an apartment for Ms. Nasser to live in and that he could do the same for Ms. Rogan and her children.
“I will own the property, and you would pay rent from the salary paid by the newly created company that would own Bionik Wellness,” he allegedly told her.
According to court documents, Ms. Rogan and Mr. White allegedly inspected the Vaucluse’s property later that month.
Ms Rogan took her own legal action against Mr White last year when she claimed he bought her a $13.1 million house (above) in Vaucluse in September 2022.
Ms Rogan said she flew to New York on September 17, 2022, at Mr White’s request.
“When I arrived at the Park Lane Hotel to check in, I was told that only one suite had been reserved,” she wrote in her affidavit.
‘I realized that Richard expected me to enter into a sexual relationship with him in order to fulfill the promise that he would invest in my company.
“So I stayed with Richard in his suite and our relationship became sexual.”
Ms Rogan said that on her return to Sydney she was invited to Mr White’s home in Bexley in Sydney’s south, where she met two women who would become directors of a company set up to buy the Vaucluse house.
Mr White is said to have told Ms Rogan: ‘The structure will ensure that no one traces ownership back to me or you. Zena will never know I own this house.”
Ms Rogan said she watched the sale of the Vaucluse property online with Mr White, who registered at the auction as ‘Rick LeBlanc’ – apparently a play on his surname in French.
“You will live in this house forever,” Mr. White allegedly told Ms. Rogan after his lawyer bought it for $13.1 million.
Ms Rogan (above) has claimed she was locked out of the Vaucluse mansion in October 2022 when Ms Nasser, a former criminal lawyer, learned she was having sex with Mr White.
Ms Rogan claims that as she prepared to move into the property the following month, she received a message from Ms Nasser who said: ‘You didn’t have to lie… Richard admitted it… please don’t come into the neighbourhood. me again.’
According to Ms Rogan, she was told in November that she had to hand over the keys to the house.
Ms Rogan claims Mr White’s bankruptcy proceedings against her are “malice-driven and an abuse of process” and wants the application dismissed.
A spokesperson for Mr White told the Australian Financial Review that the proceedings related to ‘unresolved commercial debts arising from various matters brought by Ms Rogan against Richard…’.
Sources close to Mr. White confirmed that he and Ms. Nasser welcomed a daughter named Jasmine via a surrogate mother in July.
Ms Rogan, who also owns laser clinics in Cairns and Auckland, was once touted as a potential cast member on reality show The Real Housewives of Sydney.
Her allegations against Mr White have yet to be tested. The bankruptcy case returns to the Federal Court on October 15.
