Major Fraud and Trafficking Allegations Hit Miss Universe Owners
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).
Mexican Co-Owner Under Investigation for Trafficking
If that weren’t enough, the legal troubles surrounding Miss Universe now stretch across continents. As reported by AFP, Mexican authorities have confirmed that co-owner Raúl Rocha Cantú is under active investigation for alleged arms, drug, and fuel trafficking, linked to cross-border operations between Mexico and Guatemala.
Prosecutors said 13 people have already been charged, though Cantú himself has not been formally named. Officials stress the inquiry is ongoing, with investigators examining a wider network believed to be involved in smuggling routes, illicit fuel tapping, and cartel-linked logistics.
While Cantú has publicly denied wrongdoing in the past, the fresh scrutiny adds a destabilising layer to an organisation already under fire. The allegations raise deeper questions about corporate governance, the vetting of key stakeholders, and how Miss Universe, once marketed as a global symbol of glamour and empowerment, became entangled in a multi-country criminal investigation.
Scandals Overshadow the Pageant’s 2025 Season
This year’s Miss Universe competition concluded on November 21, but the legal and financial headlines now threaten to overshadow the crown. The season had already been marked by controversies, including allegations of rigging that circulated widely on social platforms.
What was meant to be a fresh era for Miss Universe is now mired in crisis. For many observers, the back-to-back scandals highlight deeper structural problems within the organisation, financial instability, opaque ownership structures, and regulatory oversight issues.
With two owners facing legal battles in different countries, industry insiders say the brand’s future could hinge on the fallout from these investigations and whether the next chapter for Miss Universe can be anything other than damage control.
