Two of the most powerful figures in the Miss Universe Organization are now fugitives from justice, even as the famous pageant continues to draw huge global audiences. In Thailand, media mogul and co-owner Jakkaphong “Anne” Jakrajutatip has been convicted of fraud and disappeared, while in Mexico, fellow co-owner Raúl Rocha Cantú is wanted on organized crime charges and has gone into hiding.
Their legal troubles have shaken the foundations of a brand that still commands intense online interest and record-breaking digital viewership.
From Landmark Purchase to Financial Freefall
In October 2022, Jakkaphong’s company JKN Global Group bought Miss Universe for about $20 million, making her the first woman to own the pageant and one of the most visible transgender business leaders in Thailand. She presented the deal as a way to promote empowerment and diversity, building on JKN’s profile as a distributor of TV content and her own role in advocacy work.
Within little more than a year, however, JKN’s finances collapsed under heavy losses and shrinking advertising income, and the company defaulted on bonds worth about 3.2 billion baht, or roughly $100 million. Regulators then accused JKN and its executives of faking financial statements and creating fictitious deals worth more than 550 million baht, turning questions about bad management into allegations of deliberate deception and diversion of funds.
Fraud Verdict and a Missing Tycoon
Thai authorities focused on a particular investment involving a prominent plastic surgeon, Dr. Raveewat Maschamadol. Between late July and early August 2023, prosecutors said Jakkaphong convinced him to put 30 million baht into JKN bonds by hiding how weak the company’s finances really were and overstating its ability to pay him back.
In December 2025, a Bangkok court found her guilty of fraud and sentenced her to two years in prison without suspension, but she did not appear for the ruling and has since been considered a fugitive. Regulators also accused JKN of booking hundreds of millions of baht in revenue from media contracts for shows that either did not exist or were never delivered, and they say the money was funneled through nominees who bought JKN shares and bonds on her behalf, helping inflate reported income while insiders reduced their own exposure.
As investigators moved to freeze the assets of JKN and several individuals, including Jakkaphong, officials and media reports indicated that she had already converted billions of baht into cryptocurrency and left Thailand, possibly heading to Mexico or elsewhere in Latin America. Her disappearance coincided with JKN’s stock being delisted from the Thai exchange, ending a rise-and-fall story that began with its 2017 listing and ended with shares trading near zero.
Mexican Co‑Owner Drawn Into Organized Crime Probe
While the Thai side of the partnership was imploding, scrutiny intensified around Miss Universe’s other co-owner, Mexican businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú. In January 2024, he bought 50 percent of the pageant from JKN for $16 million and became a high-profile face of the brand, adding the pageant to a portfolio that included casinos, hotels, and other ventures based in Monterrey.
Rocha’s name had already surfaced in a 2011 tragedy, when his Casino Royale in Monterrey was set on fire by the criminal group Los Zetas, killing 52 people, after which he left Mexico for the United States instead of staying to confront the fallout. By late 2024, Mexican federal investigators were examining him for suspected participation in a criminal network involved in drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, and the theft and resale of fuel, alleging that he helped finance the operation with millions of pesos and negotiated with gas stations to distribute stolen fuel.
An agreement approved by then–Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero briefly granted Rocha temporary immunity in exchange for cooperation, but the deal lasted less than a month and was scrapped amid political backlash once Ernestina Godoy took over the post. On December 18, 2025, a federal judge in Querétaro issued an arrest warrant for Rocha on organized crime charges related to arms and fuel trafficking, and authorities later said they did not know his whereabouts. Soon afterward, Rocha announced that Miss Universe’s offices would move from Mexico City to New York, citing “legal uncertainty” and security, while reports placed him in Paris as Mexican authorities searched for him.
A Pageant Thrives Amid Scandal and Doubt
Even as its owners faced mounting legal problems, the Miss Universe 2025 pageant drew enormous global interest, with billions of digital views across platforms and strong broadcast ratings, especially among Spanish-language audiences. Yet the event became a lightning rod for criticism when Mexican contestant Fátima Bosch won the crown, amid questions about links between her family and Rocha’s business interests and claims from a former judge that pressure had been applied behind the scenes.
Resignations by judges, including Omar Harfouch and former footballer Claude Makélélé, added to the sense that the competition was not being run fairly, as they complained of conflicts of interest and alleged that unofficial committees had preselected finalists without full input from the judging panel. A separate confrontation earlier in November, when Thai director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly berated Bosch during a livestream and she walked out saying she was not being respected as a woman, sparked diplomatic criticism from Mexico’s president and sharpened public doubts about the organization’s culture.
By the end of 2025, Miss Universe was in the unusual situation of being controlled by two co-owners facing serious charges in different countries, while national directors, sponsors, and broadcasters weighed record audiences against mounting legal and ethical risks. The organization has promised transparency and integrity, but many observers now see long-term recovery as dependent on bringing in credible new ownership and stronger governance rules that can separate the future of the crown from the troubles of its fugitive leaders.
Sources Ex-Miss Universe CEO Anne Jakrajutatip sentenced to 2 years in prison for fraud. The Philippine Star, December 29, 2025
Asset freeze against JKN Global Group and executives for financial statement falsification. SEC Thailand Official Statement, December 25, 2025
Raúl Rocha, from jet-setting with Miss Universe to arms trafficking and fuel theft. El País, December 29, 2025