Travis Kelce Named as Victim in $35 Million Ponzi Scheme—Where Fraudster Splashed Out on Luxe Apartments and Hotel Stays

Travis Kelce has been identified as a victim of a sprawling $35 million Ponzi scheme that saw the man behind the fraud use investor funds to help finance a lavish lifestyle that included luxury apartments, private jet travel, and high-end hotel stays.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 36, was named by prosecutors during the sentencing of Siddharth Jawahar, the founder of Texas-based investment company Swiftarc Capital LLC, according to First Alert 4.

Jawahar, 38, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison on Sept. 15 after pleading guilty in January to three counts of wire fraud.

U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone also ordered Jawahar to pay $31.35 million in restitution to his victims.

While Kelce was identified in court as one of the people affected by the scheme, prosecutors did not reveal how much money the NFL star invested or how much he may have lost.

First Alert 4 reported that prosecutors declined to elaborate on Kelce's connection to the case, explaining that they do not comment on individual victims.

However, Kelce had previously been publicly linked to Swiftarc. A 2021 Forbes article identified the football player as an investor in a fund created by the company.

Jawahar's scheme stretched several years and involved tens of millions of dollars entrusted to his investment operation.

According to the Department of Justice, Jawahar began putting client funds into Philip Morris Pakistan in 2015, with approximately 99% of client money eventually concentrated in that single investment.

When its value declined, authorities said Jawahar concealed the losses from his clients and continued providing them with false information suggesting that their investments were profitable.

Other investors were led to believe their money had been placed into specific companies when those investments had not actually been made, prosecutors said.

Between July 2016 and December 2023, Jawahar collected more than $35 million from Swiftarc investors, according to federal authorities.

Of that amount, only about $10 million was actually invested.

Prosecutors said Jawahar diverted other investor funds toward making payments to existing clients and supporting his expensive personal lifestyle.

His spending extended to real estate and travel, with authorities citing luxury apartments in New York City and Austin, TX, as well as private jet trips and stays at upscale hotels.

Investor money also went toward memberships at private clubs around the country, shopping sprees, and expensive restaurant outings, according to prosecutors.

Jawahar was indicted in December 2023 before pleading guilty to three counts of wire fraud in January 2026.

Federal prosecutors also accused Jawahar of attempting to interfere with the investigation after he was indicted, including trying to persuade a victim to provide a favorable statement to the FBI and attempting to have his sister remotely wipe his iPhone to conceal evidence.

During sentencing, Bluestone pointed to both the scale of the financial losses and the yearslong nature of the fraud.

The judge also cited Jawahar's failure to begin repaying his victims as a factor in determining his sentence.

Kelce's exact financial losses remain unknown, with prosecutors offering no further details about how much money the Chiefs star had invested with Swiftarc.