Thai court issues arrest warrant for ex-Miss Universe boss over $930,000 fraud case
Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip, the former chief executive of JKN Global Group and the Miss Universe Organization, is now the subject of an arrest warrant after failing to appear for sentencing in a 30-million-baht (US$930,000) investment fraud case.
The lawsuit, reported by Khaosod English, accuses Anne and JKN Global of misleading investors between July 24 and Aug. 8, 2023, by providing false information and hiding critical details to encourage the purchase of company bonds.
Although previously released on bail and allowed to be tried in absentia, Anne did not attend the scheduled hearing at Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon District Court and offered no explanation. Judges ruled she was intentionally avoiding the proceedings and issued a warrant for her arrest. Her guarantor has been ordered to forfeit the full bail amount within 15 days, and the verdict reading has been moved to Dec. 26.
Anne, 46, is one of Thailand’s most prominent transgender business figures. Forbes listed her in 2020 as the world’s third-richest transgender person, with an estimated fortune of US$210 million. She bought the Miss Universe Organization for US$20 million in 2022 but later sold half her stake to Mexican businessman Raul Rocha Cantu amid financial strain.
Her corporate troubles escalated in June, when she resigned from JKN after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused her of falsifying company records. She was fined US$119,000 and banned from serving as a director or executive for 56 months, and subsequently stepped down from Miss Universe as well.
Thai PBS reports that JKN’s operations have been suspended since Anne sought business restructuring in 2023. According to the South China Morning Post, she allegedly converted 6 billion baht into cryptocurrency and fled to Mexico with help from former partner Cantu, and is now believed to be living somewhere in South America.