Key Highlights
- Thai owner Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip faces an arrest warrant and fraud-related charges in Thailand.
- Mexican co-owner Raúl Rocha Cantú is under investigation for alleged weapons, drug, and fuel trafficking.
- The iconic pageant concludes its 2025 season under a cloud of financial trouble, regulatory sanctions, and claims of rigging.
The Miss Universe competition is once again in global headlines, this time not for a new winner or viral moment on stage, but for a crisis engulfing its owners.
Days after the 2025 pageant wrapped up in Bangkok, both of its key stakeholders are facing serious legal and financial scrutiny, thrusting one of the world’s most recognizable beauty brands into a reputational free fall.
Legal Storm Engulfs Miss Universe
The pageant, previously owned by former US President Donald Trump, shifted hands in 2022 when Thai media entrepreneur Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip and her company JKN Global acquired it with promises of modernization and global expansion. However, two years later, the empire appears shaken from within.
Thai Owner Faces Fraud Charges and an Arrest Warrant
According to Thai media and the Bangkok South District Court, an arrest warrant was issued this week for Jakrajutatip after she failed to appear for a crucial hearing tied to a 30 million baht ($930,000) investment dispute. Reports say her current whereabouts are unknown.
The financial troubles go far deeper. As reported by the Associated Press, JKN Global has been struggling since 2023, when it began defaulting on payments to investors, eventually filing for rehabilitation in a Thai bankruptcy court in 2024. The company’s debt load reportedly stands at 3 billion baht ($92.6 million), a sharp contrast to the glamorous brand it hoped to elevate.
Earlier this year, Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission sanctioned both Jakrajutatip and JKN for allegedly publishing misleading information in financial statements, fining the company 4 million baht (about $124,000).
