Miss Universe owners face fraud and trafficking allegations

Just days after the most recent pageant, legal drama has taken the place of the Miss Universe competition, whose owners are facing fraud charges in Thailand and a Mexican drug and weapons trafficking investigation.

Since 2022, Thai mogul Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip and her business, JKN Global, have owned the Miss Universe Pageant, which was once owned by US President Donald Trump.

After avoiding a court hearing in Bangkok this week over a $ 30 million legal dispute with a JKN Global investor, Jakrajutatip is wanted there. According to Thai media, the Bangkok South District Court announced on Wednesday that it had issued an arrest warrant for Jakrajutatip, whose whereabouts are still unknown.

According to the Associated Press news agency, Jakrajutatip and JKN Global have been dealing with significant balance sheets since 2023 when the business began to make payments to investors in vain. The business reportedly owes about 3 billion baht ($92.63 million) in Thailand as a result of its bankruptcy court filing in 2024, according to the Associated Press.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Thailand earlier this year fined Jakrajutatip and JKN Global for publishing “false or misleading information” in the business’s financial statement.

According to the SEC statement, JKN Global did not fully disclose to investors that it had agreed to sell 50% of its stakes in the Miss Universe Pageant to Mexican businessman Raul Rocha Cantu and his business Legacy Holding Group USA Inc. in October 2023.

Despite the sanction, Jakrajutatip is still a shareholder despite having left all of her positions with the company, according to AP. Additionally, she skipped earlier this month’s most recent Miss Universe contest in Bangkok.

According to the AFP news agency, Cantu is facing other legal issues in Mexico, where prosecutors announced on Wednesday that he was being looked into for alleged arms, drug, and fuel trafficking between Mexico and Guatemala.

Cantu has not yet been formally named, according to the AFP, but the prosecution has charged 13 people in connection with the case.