Why Travis Kelce Has Been Connected to Multi-Million Dollar Ponzi Scheme

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce appears to be one of the alleged victims in a massive ponzi scheme that authorities say sapped $35 million from potential investors.

Siddharth Jawahar pleaded guilty in January to three counts of wire fraud and was sentenced this week to 11 years in prison for allegedly orchestrating the plot. He was also ordered to pay more than $31 million in restitution.

It's unclear how much money Kelce, 36, lost in the ponzi scheme. Kelce was named in federal court on Tuesday, September 15, as one of Jawahar's alleged victims.

Jawahar, 38, ran Texas-based investment company Swiftarc Capital LLC. A 2021 story from Forbes revealed Kelce as an investor in Swiftarc.

The Justice Department alleges that Jawahar invested client funds into a single investment, Philip Morris Pakistan (PMP). When the value of PMP dropped, Jawahar allegedly did not inform investors, instead insisting they were making profits. He is also accused of taking $35 million from investors and insisting only $10 million of it, despite claiming to have invested the whole thing.

"Jawahar used money from new investors to repay older investors and to fuel an extravagant lifestyle that included travel on private jets, stays at luxury hotels, a luxury apartment in Austin and New York City, memberships at multiple private clubs across the country, spending sprees at clothing stores and expensive outings at fancy restaurants," the Justice Department said in a release announcing his sentencing on Tuesday.

The release continued, "After his indictment, Jawahar tried to obstruct justice by trying to coach a victim into giving a favorable statement to the FBI, lying about his immigration status and finances and trying to get his sister to remotely wipe his iPhone to hide evidence."

Kelce, for his part, has not spoken publicly about Jawahar or his alleged crimes. He and the Chiefs are fresh off a dominant 31-10 season-opening win over the Denver Broncos on Monday, September 14, in which he led the team with 71 receiving yards. As has become typical for Chiefs home games, his wife, Taylor Swift, was at Arrowhead Stadium to cheer him on.

It was the first game of Kelce's 14th NFL season as he looks to help guide Kansas City to a Super Bowl win for the fourth time in his career.

"I still think I can compete at a high level," he told Chris Berman during an interview on Monday Night Countdown before the game. "Like I said, I love this game so f***ing much."

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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 10:22 AM.