Arrest warrant for Miss Universe co-owner issued after court no-show in fraud case

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Miss Universe Jamaica contestant falls off stage during evening gown round

Miss Jamaica contestant Gabrielle Henry fell off the stage during the 2025 competition in Thailand. (Credit: @meekiimodez via Storyful)

A Bangkok court has issued an arrest warrant for Jakkaphong "Anne" Jakrajutatip, the co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, after Jakrajutatip failed to appear in court on Tuesday in relation to a fraud case.

Jakkaphong is accused of defrauding an investor in 2023 and was released on bail, but she was a no-show for court on Tuesday and did not notify 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 Dec. 26.

Jakkaphong’s company, JKN Global Group, bought Miss Universe in 2022 and then sold 50% the following year to Legacy Holding Group USA, which is owned by Mexican businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú.

JKN is accused of cheating investor Raweewat Maschamadol during a 2023 corporate-bond deal that Maschamadol says cost him roughly $930,000. He says Jakkaphong and JKN misrepresented the company’s financial health when selling him the bonds. JKN ceased making investor payments in 2023, effectively erasing the value of the corporate bonds.

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Thai business tycoon 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 tied to JKN Global Group. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

JKN has faced severe financial trouble in recent years, defaulting on investor payments in 2023 and entering debt rehabilitation in 2024. JKN reports obligations totaling about $93 million.

Jakkaphong, a well-known Thai celebrity, reality-show star and openly transgender woman, resigned from all company positions in June after being accused by Thailand’s SEC of falsifying 2023 financial statements, though 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 she had liquidated the company’s assets and fled the country.

Jakkaphong "Anne" Jakrajutatip, chief executive of JKN Global Group and co-owner of the Miss Universe Organization, speaks during a 2022 interview 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)

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This year’s Miss Universe pageant faced a string of embarrassments.

A Thai organizer publicly reprimanded Mexico’s Fátima Bosch Fernández, who ultimately won the 2025 crown, sparking backlash, while two judges also withdrew, with one hinting the scoring wasn’t entirely above board.

Thai authorities separately opened an investigation into whether the event’s promotional materials illegally advertised online gambling.

The chaos deepened when Jamaica’s 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 2025 Miss Universe pageant in Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Thailand, on, Nov. 21, 2025. (Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo)

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President Donald Trump once owned the Miss Universe Organization, controlling the pageant from 1996 until 2015, when he sold it to talent agency giant IMG after NBC severed ties with him during the early stages of his presidential campaign. The brand has since changed hands multiple times.

Trump sold the company in 2015, and in 2022, IMG Worldwide LLC sold it to Jakrajutatip.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.