How was Travis Kelce linked to the investment fraud case?
ST LOUIS, United States: NFL star Travis Kelce has been identified as a victim of a $35 million Ponzi scheme operated by investment manager Siddharth Jawahar, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in St Louis on Tuesday.
Jawahar, who operated the Texas-based investment firm Swiftarc Capital LLC, collected more than $35 million from investors between 2016 and 2023, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Prosecutors said Jawahar invested nearly all of the funds in Philip Morris Pakistan. After the investment lost value, he allegedly concealed the losses from clients and falsely reported profits, while using money from new investors to pay earlier investors.
A 2021 Forbes report had previously identified Kelce as an investor in a fund created by Swiftarc.
What happened to the money invested in the scheme?
Jawahar pleaded guilty in January 2026 to three counts of wire fraud and was ordered to pay $31.35 million in restitution to victims.
Prosecutors said he later attempted to obstruct the investigation by pressuring a victim to provide favourable testimony to the FBI and asking his sister to remotely erase information from his phone.
Authorities also said Jawahar used funds obtained through the scheme to finance private jets, luxury hotels and expensive shopping.
Kelce’s financial losses have not been disclosed. Authorities have not accused him of wrongdoing and have identified him solely as a victim in the case.
The Kansas City Chiefs have not publicly commented on Kelce’s connection to the case.