Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce was among dozens of investors victimized in a massive Ponzi scheme run by a man who had been living illegally in the United States for years, according to federal court records and reporting released this week.
Siddharth Jawahar, 38, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for operating an investment fraud that took more than $35 million from 64 victims.
Kelce was identified as one of those victims. Authorities have not publicly disclosed how much money the NFL tight end invested or lost.
Nothing in the federal case accuses Kelce of participating in wrongdoing. The football star was an investor caught in Jawahar’s fraudulent operation.
Jawahar founded Swiftarc Capital LLC, a Texas-based investment operation that prosecutors said he used to solicit millions of dollars from investors.
The scheme operated for years. The Associated Press reported that the fraudulent conduct occurred between July 2016 and December 2023.
Prosecutors said Jawahar misrepresented the performance and condition of investments while using incoming money from newer investors to make payments associated with earlier investors.
That structure is the defining mechanism of a Ponzi scheme, where money entering from new participants is used to create the appearance that previous investments are performing successfully.
Federal authorities found that only about $10 million of the more than $35 million Jawahar obtained was actually invested.
The rest was diverted for other purposes, including payments to previous investors and Jawahar’s personal expenses.
According to the AP, Jawahar financed a lavish lifestyle that included luxury apartments, private jets and expensive events.
The government’s case did not end with accusations of investment fraud.
Investigators also found evidence that Jawahar attempted to interfere with the investigation, including coaching a victim and attempting to erase evidence from his phone.
His immigration history also became part of the case.
The AP reported that Jawahar was originally from India and had been living illegally in the United States since 2005.
According to the AP’s account of the prosecution, Jawahar also lied about his immigration status while attempting to obstruct authorities. Jawahar was indicted in 2023.
He eventually pleaded guilty in January to three counts of wire fraud.
A federal judge sentenced him to 11 years behind bars. Jawahar was also ordered to pay approximately $31.35 million in restitution to his victims.
Kelce was not the only professional athlete linked to Swiftarc as an investor.
Reuters reported that NBA players Gary Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mason Plumlee had previously been identified as investors in the firm.
The prominence of several victims illustrates how investment fraud can reach wealthy and sophisticated investors as well as ordinary consumers.
Federal prosecutors ultimately characterized Jawahar’s business not as a failed investment strategy, but as a deliberate fraud involving deception, diversion of investor funds, and payments designed to keep the operation functioning.
The 11-year sentence closes one major phase of the prosecution, while the restitution order leaves Jawahar financially responsible for tens of millions of dollars lost by his victims, including one of professional football’s most recognizable stars.