Photo credit Pattarapong Chatpattarasill and courtesy of Bangkok Post
Financial records reveal that three celebrities linked to The iCon Group received significant payments from the online sales company, with TV host Kan “Boss Kan” Kantatavorn alone receiving nearly 80 million baht.
The Anti-Money Laundering Office and the Central Investigation Bureau have been investigating the financial dealings of all 18 suspects involved in this major fraud case, focusing particularly on Kan, actor Yuranunt “Boss Sam” Pamornmontri, and actress Pechaya “Boss Min” Wattanamontree.
Preliminary findings indicate that Kan received 33 money transfers totaling 79.48 million baht from The iCon Group between 2021 and this year. The breakdown of these transfers is as follows:
- 2021: 2 transfers totaling 5.75 million baht
- 2022: 15 transfers amounting to 41.83 million baht
- 2023: 10 transfers totaling 23.51 million baht
- 2024: 6 transfers amounting to 8.37 million baht
Actress Pechaya received nine transfers totaling 11.39 million baht:
- 2023: 7 transfers totaling 8.54 million baht
- 2024: 2 transfers amounting to 2.84 million baht
Actor Yuranunt received a total of 3.19 million baht through two transfers: 1.86 million baht in 2023 and 1.33 million baht in 2024.
According to an insider, the payments to the three celebrities were apparently viewed as shares of the company’s revenue, distinguishing them from other stars like actor Pakorn “Boy” Chaborirak and actor-singer Pakorn “Dome” Lam, who were contracted as product presenters.
Pakorn, 40, met with police on October 14 and revealed that he had terminated his contract with The iCon Group, identifying himself among those who were harmed.
All 18 suspects, referred to as “bosses” in the iCon marketing pyramid, were arrested on October 16 after multiple fraud complaints were lodged against the company, which marketed health and dietary supplements. They are currently in custody.
The iCon Group gained traction by offering inexpensive online sales courses but subsequently required participants to invest more money in product purchases and increasingly larger financial commitments for recruitment advertising.
All suspects, including founder and CEO Warathaphon “Boss Paul” Waratyaworrakul, face charges of collusion in public fraud and entering false information into a computer system, which they have denied.
On Thursday, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) announced that it would manage inquiries into suspected money laundering related to this fraud case. Police reported that 8,137 individuals have filed complaints regarding losses totaling 2.41 billion baht linked to The iCon Group.
