A Bangkok court has issued an arrest warrant for Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip, a key figure at the Miss Universe Organization, after she failed to attend a scheduled court appearance concerning a fraud allegation.

The charges against Jakkaphong involve allegations of defrauding an investor in 2023. Despite being granted bail, she did not show up in court on the scheduled date and failed to inform the authorities, according to The Associated Press, which cited information from the Bangkok South District Court. The court has now labeled her a flight risk and set a new hearing date for December 26.

Jakkaphong’s enterprise, JKN Global Group, acquired the Miss Universe pageant in 2022 and subsequently sold a 50% stake in 2023 to Legacy Holding Group USA, owned by Mexican businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú.

The controversy centers on JKN’s alleged deception of investor Raweewat Maschamadol during a 2023 corporate bond transaction, which he claims resulted in a loss of approximately $930,000. Maschamadol argues that Jakkaphong and JKN provided misleading information about the company’s financial stability when selling the bonds. JKN stopped making payments to investors in 2023, rendering the bonds virtually worthless.

Thai business figure Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip was notably absent at a court hearing in Bangkok linked to fraud charges involving her company, JKN Global Group. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

JKN has been grappling with significant financial difficulties, having defaulted on investor payments in 2023 and subsequently entering a debt rehabilitation phase in 2024. The company reports a financial obligation amounting to roughly $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)

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)

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.