Travis Kelce Named in $35 Million Ponzi Case
Bastillepost · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A US federal court case has identified Travis Kelce, husband of singer Taylor Swift, as one of the victims in a Ponzi scheme involving more than US$35 million. The case ended with 38-year-old Siddharth Jawahar receiving an 11-year prison sentence after admitting wire fraud offences tied to his investment firm
Key Points
- Missouri federal prosecutors told the court on September 15 that Travis Kelce was among the victims, though no details were given on timing or losses
- British newspaper The Guardian reported on September 16 that prosecutors mentioned Kelce in court but did not disclose how much he invested or when
- Jawahar, 38, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty in January in St Louis to three counts of wire fraud
- Prosecutors said his Texas firm, Swiftarc Capital LLC, raised money from investors from 2015 and placed all funds into a single project
- After that investment failed, prosecutors said he hid the losses, used new investors’ money to repay earlier clients, and spent company funds on luxury living
- The prosecution said more than US$35 million was obtained, but only about US$10 million was actually invested between 2016 and 2023
- Jawahar was also ordered to pay US$31.35 million in restitution, equivalent to about HK$245 million, according to prosecutors
- The report said several athletes were linked to investments in the company, and Forbes named Gary Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr and Mason Plumlee in 2021
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the case is a reminder that celebrity or athlete connections do not shield investors from fraud risk, especially when money is channelled through private investment vehicles. The limited disclosure about Kelce’s involvement also shows that high-profile names can surface in court proceedings without full details of their financial exposure becoming public