ST. LOUIS — A federal judge sentenced a Texas investment firm founder to 11 years in prison on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, in a Ponzi scheme that took in more than $35 million — and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce was named in court as one of the victims, according to the
Associated Press.
U.S. District Judge Zachary Bluestone in St. Louis sentenced Siddharth Jawahar, 38, and ordered
him to pay $31.35 million in restitution, per the AP. Jawahar, the founder of Swiftarc Capital LLC,
pleaded guilty in January to three counts of wire fraud following a 2023 grand jury indictment, Reuters reported.
The scheme ran from July 2016 through December 2023. During that time, Jawahar collected more than $35 million from investors but put only about $10 million into actual investments, the AP reported. Prosecutors said he used money from new investors to repay earlier ones while financing an extravagant lifestyle that included luxury apartments in New York City and Austin, private jet travel, expensive restaurants, luxury hotels, and private club memberships.
A Missouri prosecutor mentioned Kelce by name in court as a victim, “without further comment,” according to the AP. It is not known how much Kelce invested or when he invested it. Kelce’s spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment, and victim impact statements in the case are sealed, per the AP.
There were 64 victims in total, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, USA Today reported. A 2021 Forbes article reported that Kelce had invested in a Jawahar fund alongside NBA players Tim Hardaway Jr., Gary Harris, and Mason Plumlee; it is not clear whether they were also victims of the fraud, per the AP.
Prosecutors also detailed attempts by Jawahar to obstruct the investigation. They said he coached a victim to give a favorable statement to the FBI and tried to have a relative remotely wipe his iPhone to hide evidence, Reuters reported. Prosecutors further noted that Jawahar, who is from India, had been living in the U.S. without legal status since 2005, according to the AP.
Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, CNN, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly.
