It seems to be a scammy sort of day, news-wise, so I thought I'd finish it with this story.
And I have to admit - I plum stole that headline from one of my oldest blogging buddies.
Got it right here.
Good thing his wife's the smart one.https://t.co/Z9708YSMSm
— JWF (@JammieWF) September 16, 2026
Yes, that's Travis Kelce. Yes, it appears he's out of some money, although hopefully he still has plenty, having reportedly banked some close to $20 million for this advertising campaign alone.
NFL star Travis Kelce in Pfizer ad pushing the new COVID jab
— Vision4theBlind (@Vision4theBlind) September 23, 2023
Earlier in the week it was reported Kelce is dating Taylor Swift
Talk about selling your soul pic.twitter.com/hMY2sdJksb
Talk about Ponzi schemes...but I digress.
And no, it wasn't a Nigerian prince.
Even wilder and more unfortunate for this victim of a pyramid scheme, proud Democrat, and Biden and/or Harris booster...
Travis Kelce is producing an upcoming movie with financial backing from Biden's green energy climate credits.
— OutKick (@Outkick) February 14, 2024
Mr. Pfizer goes green? Is it only a matter of time until he's in a Biden reelection ad?https://t.co/5HTAwKX7Dl
...it was an illegal immigrant.
There's a touch of the schadenfreudig in the air, or would be if I were to revel in someone's misfortunes, which...I...will...oof...refrain from.
Travis Kelce has been tagged as a victim in a major Ponzi scheme by prosecutors in a Missouri court, per multiple reports.
The Chiefs star tight end was named in court on Tuesday as one of many to be wronged by Siddharth Jawahar, described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as an illegal immigrant who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for fraud that took away more than $35 million from investors.
The 38-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in January and was ordered to pay over $31 million in restitution to his victims, per a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Missouri.
Kelce’s losses were not disclosed nor did prosecutors expand on the 36-year-old’s connection to the case.
I will note the 'bite you in the tuchus' circle remains unbroken.
While the official reports don't specify Kelce's losses, ABC News reports they're in the millions, and that's nothing to sneer at, but it certainly seems to be the benchmark for the current crop of illegal fraudsters marauding across the country.
Siddharth Jawahar, an investment adviser who ran a Ponzi scheme that defrauded Kansas City Chiefs football star Travis Kelce out of millions of dollars, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri. pic.twitter.com/H3RSWxMcHl
— ABC News (@ABC) September 16, 2026
The case, according to one lawyer on X, has been wending its way through the legal system for some time, though. Jawahar was arrested in Miami in 2023 after being indicted by a jury in St. Louis, MO.
The sentencing happened yesterday, and TMZ broke the story today. If this version of events is correct, it's really fascinating to see how these things play out.
Especially as I've never had any money and would be awfully tight with it if I ever got anything more than a couple of thousand dollars at a pop.
I have always been fascinated by Ponzi schemes!
— SMB Attorney (@SMB_Attorney) September 16, 2026
I've studied everything I can find on them. How they start and why they happen.
It all boils down to one word on both sides:
Greed!
Here's the background here:
- Around 2010–2013, Siddharth “Sid” Jawahar starts Texas-based… https://t.co/zzPvL0Hdcb
- Around 2010–2013, Siddharth “Sid” Jawahar starts Texas-based Swiftarc Capital LLC and registers as an investment adviser. The firm initially invests across a mix of securities.
- In 2015, Jawahar shifts strategy and begins putting most client money into one holding: Philip Morris Pakistan (PMP), a tobacco stock on the Pakistan exchange. By 2019, about 99% of fund assets sit in that single, thinly traded stock.
- From July 2016 through December 2023, he takes in more than $35 million from investors but invests only about $10 million. New money is used to pay earlier investors and to fund private jets, luxury apartments in Austin and New York, private clubs, hotels, and restaurants. Investors are told they are making profits even as PMP collapses.
- In 2019 he also launches Swiftarc Ventures, a VC-style operation pitching telehealth, consumer tech, and related funds. One of those vehicles is the Swiftarc Venture Labs Fund.
- June 2021: A Forbes profile of NBA player Gary Harris publicly lists Travis Kelce, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Mason Plumlee as fellow investors in the Swiftarc Venture Labs Fund. Kelce’s exact amount and date of investment are never disclosed. This is two years before Kelce meets Taylor Swift.
- June 7, 2022: The Texas State Securities Board revokes Swiftarc Capital’s adviser registration and orders Jawahar to cease and desist from fraud, citing inflated valuations of the illiquid PMP position. He does not tell investors and keeps raising money, including another $1 million weeks later.
- December 20–21, 2023: A federal grand jury in St. Louis indicts him on three counts of wire fraud and one count of investment-adviser fraud. The FBI arrests him in Miami. The case is in Missouri because the first reporting victim lived there. More than 60 people are later identified as victims.
- After indictment, prosecutors say he tries to obstruct the case: coaching a victim’s statement, lying about immigration status and finances, and asking his sister to remotely wipe his iPhone.
- January 2026: He pleads guilty to three counts of wire fraud.
- September 15, 2026: U.S. District Judge Zachary Bluestone sentences him to 11 years in prison and $31.35 million in restitution. During the hearing, a prosecutor names Travis Kelce as one of the victims. No amount is given. Kelce is not accused of any wrongdoing. A congressman’s letter asking for four years is ignored.
I vividly remember Bernie Madoff and, in particular, Kevin Bacon and his wife, Kira Segwick, basically losing everything because they had entrusted Madoff with the fruit of their life's work.
That was my 'If I ever win the lottery' wake-up call about what not to do.
Jawahar has reportedly been in the country illegally since 2005, and part of the U.S. Attorney's complaint against him dealt with an obstruction of justice charge in which the man tried to get one of the clients he'd defrauded to speak to the FBI.
...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.
There is no one so shameless as these scammers, is there?
Well...yeah, there is - we're all thinking the same thing here - but these scummy operators are close.
In any event, another bad guy goes down, and Kelce's married to a billionaire, so he won't be forced to do dishes in the bowels of the stadium after a game to keep a roof over his head. He's a lot luckier than most people who have run up against these smooth talkers and their own big dreams of investment glory.
The simple moral of the story would be, 'know who has your money,' I guess. And I guess even that can be hard.
If you are willing to be sold a swan song about outsized returns, there's no helping it, whether it's Siddharth or Elizabeth Holmes.
The people ready to sell you that are always out there.
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