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Travis Kelce among pro athletes defrauded by Ponzi scheme that funneled funds into one stock

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Cite

Avila, A. (2026, September 17). Travis Kelce among pro athletes defrauded by Ponzi scheme that funneled funds into one stock. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/outkick-sports/travis-kelce-pro-athletes-defrauded-ponzi-scheme-funneled-funds-one-stock

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-09-17 · by Alejandro Avila

Quick Summary

Travis Kelce, a 36-year-old tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, was identified as one of several victims in a $35 million Ponzi scheme run by Siddharth Jawahar. During sentencing hearings, prosecutors revealed that Jawahar's Swiftarc Capital LLC invested nearly all client funds into Philip Morris Pakistan stock and used new investors' money to pay earlier clients. Jawahar spent the rest on luxury items while pleading guilty to three counts of wire fraud and receiving an 11-year prison sentence with a $31.35 million restitution order. The article highlights that other professional athletes, including NBA players Gary Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Mason Plumlee, were also victims of this scheme.
Written by AI on 2026-09-17, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Siddharth Jawahar, the founder of Swiftarc Capital LLC in Texas, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for running a $35 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded around 64 victims from July 2016 through December 2023. Prosecutors mentioned Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, as one of the scheme's victims during Jawahar’s sentencing in St. Louis federal court on Tuesday. Jawahar admitted to taking over $35 million from investors but only investing about $10 million and using the rest for personal luxuries like private jets and luxury apartments. He was ordered to pay $31.35 million in restitution, though specifics of Kelce’s involvement remain undisclosed.

Written for “Travis Kelce Ponzi Scheme Victim” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Travis Kelce Ponzi Scheme Victim
Crime & Law · 9 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 7% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Travis Kelce was among the victims of a man’s multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme Same event
NBC News
Hedges 3 of 14 claims Outlet record 60/100
Travis Kelce named as victim in multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme case Same event
The Independent
Hedges 4 of 16 claims Outlet record 59/100
Chiefs star Travis Kelce is named among victims of $35m Ponzi scheme Same event
The Guardian
Hedges 3 of 19 claims Outlet record 66/100
Travis Kelce named victim in massive $35M Ponzi scheme as fraudster gets 11 years in prison Same event
New York Post
Hedges 8 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
Travis Kelce named as victim in alleged multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme Same event
NBC News
Outlet record 60/100
Investment firm leader gets 11 years for Ponzi scheme that bilked dozens, including Travis Kelce Same event
The Independent
Hedges 1 of 12 claims Outlet record 59/100
Investment firm leader gets 11 years for Ponzi scheme that bilked dozens, including Travis Kelce Same event
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100
Fraud mastermind behind multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that victimized Travis Kelce is illegal immigrant Same event
Fox News
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 1 of 17 claims Outlet record 69/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
14
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
7%
1 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
9
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-17 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Alejandro Avila
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Topics

Kansas City Chiefs St. Louis Swiftarc Capital LLC Texas the U.S. Department of Justice

Subjects

Jawahar PERSON · 6× Kelce PERSON · 4× Kansas City Chiefs ORG · 1× Philip Morris Pakistan ORG · 1× Siddharth Jawahar PERSON · 1× St. Louis GPE · 1× Swiftarc Capital LLC ORG · 1× Texas GPE · 1× Travis Kelce PERSON · 1× the U.S. Department of Justice ORG · 1×

Narrative

As that position tanked, Jawahar hid the losses, issued falsified statements and used funds from new investors to pay out earlier clients. Federal prosecutors noted Jawahar actually invested roughly $10 million of the total funds raised.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-17
2026-09-17 · Fox News
Travis Kelce among pro athletes defrauded by Ponzi scheme that funneled funds into one stock · assertive framing

Claims (14 extracted, 1 hedged)

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, 36, was officially identified as a victim in a $35 million Ponzi scheme run by a Texas fund manager. asserted
Kelce → identify → manager
During a Tuesday sentencing hearing in a St. Louis federal courtroom, prosecutors named Kelce among those defrauded by 38-year-old Siddharth Jawahar. asserted
prosecutors → name → Jawahar
Jawahar operated Swiftarc Capital LLC, an investment firm that collapsed into a federal wire fraud investigation. asserted
that → operate → investigation
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Jawahar raised more than $35 million from investors between July 2016 and December 2023. uncertain
Jawahar → accord → July
Instead of managing a diversified portfolio, he allocated roughly 99% of client capital into a single stock, Philip Morris Pakistan. asserted
he → manage → stock
As that position tanked, Jawahar hid the losses, issued falsified statements and used funds from new investors to pay out earlier clients. Federal prosecutors noted Jawahar actually invested roughly $10 million of the total funds raised. asserted
Jawahar → tank → funds
He spent the remainder funding personal luxuries, including private jet charters, upscale apartments in Austin and New York, high-end dining and exclusive private club memberships. asserted
He → spend → Austin
Court filings did not specify the exact financial loss suffered by Kelce. asserted
filings → specify → Kelce
Kelce was not the only professional athlete caught up in the operation. asserted
Kelce → catch → operation
A 2021 Forbes report previously linked Swiftarc funds to several NBA players, including Gary Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mason Plumlee. asserted
report → link → Harris
Jawahar pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud in January 2026. asserted
Jawahar → plead → January
U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone sentenced Jawahar to 11 years in federal prison and ordered him to pay $31.35 million in restitution. asserted
Bluestone → sentence → restitution
Kelce is currently playing in his 14th NFL season after signing a contract extension with Kansas City. asserted
Kelce → play → City
Luckily for the Chiefs star, marrying Taylor Swift earlier this year means any bad investment can easily be covered by loose change tucked behind her couch cushions. asserted
investment → marry → cushions
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