A Bangkok court has issued an arrest warrant for Miss Universe Organization co-owner Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip after Jakrajutatip failed to appear in court on Tuesday in connection with a fraud case.
Jakkahong is accused of defrauding an investor in 2023 and was released on bail, but she failed to show up in court on Tuesday and did not inform officials, The Associated Press reported, citing a statement from the Bangkok South District Court. The court deemed her a flight risk and rescheduled the hearing for December 26.
Jakkaphong’s company, JKN Global Group, bought Miss Universe in 2022 and sold 50% the following year to Legacy Holding Group USA, owned by Mexican businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú.
JKN is accused of defrauding investor Raweewat Maschamadol in a 2023 corporate bond deal that Maschamadol says cost him about $930,000. He says Jakkaphong and JKN misrepresented the company’s financial health when they sold him the bonds. JKN stopped making investor payments in 2023, effectively erasing the value of the corporate bonds.
STRIP CLUB EXECUTIVES SAID TO BRIBE TAX AUDATOR WITH LAPDANCES AND LUXURY TRAVELS TO REDUCE TAX BILLS
Thai business magnate Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip appears at a Miss Universe event in Bangkok. A Bangkok court issued an arrest warrant for her after she failed to appear in a fraud case linked to JKN Global Group. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
JKN has faced serious financial problems in recent years, defaulting on investor payments in 2023 and entering debt restructuring in 2024. JKN reports liabilities totaling approximately $93 million.
Jakkaphong, a well-known Thai celebrity, reality star and openly transgender woman, resigned from all company positions in June after being accused by Thailand’s SEC of falsifying its 2023 financial statements, although Jakkaphong remains JKN’s largest shareholder.
Jakkaphong’s whereabouts remain unclear and Jakkaphong did not appear at the 74th Miss Universe competition, which was held in Bangkok earlier this month.
On Monday, JKN denied rumors that it had liquidated the company’s assets and fled the country.
Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip, CEO of JKN Global Group and co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, speaks during an interview in 2022 in Bangkok. A Bangkok court has now issued an arrest warrant for Jakrajutatip after the media executive failed to appear in a fraud case. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)
DIDDY denied bail in sex trafficking, racketeering case
This year’s Miss Universe pageant faced a series of embarrassments.
A Thai organizer publicly reprimanded Mexico’s Fátima Bosch Fernández, who ultimately won the 2025 crown, sparking a backlash, while two judges also withdrew, with one suggesting the score was not quite above expectations.
Thai authorities have separately opened an investigation into whether the event’s promotional materials illegally advertised online gambling.
The chaos intensified when Jamaican contestant, Gabrielle Henry, fell off the stage during the preliminary evening gown round.
Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch, center, is celebrated by other contestants after winning the Miss Universe 2025 pageant in Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Thailand, on November 21, 2025. (Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
President Donald Trump once owned the Miss Universe Organization and controlled the pageant from 1996 until 2015, when he sold it to talent agency giant IMG after NBC cut ties with him during the early stages of his presidential campaign. The brand has changed hands several times since then.
Trump sold the company in 2015 and in 2022, IMG Worldwide LLC sold it to Jakrajutatip.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
