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Fraud mastermind behind multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that victimized Travis Kelce is illegal immigrant
By Peter Pinedo
Published September 17, 2026
The mastermind behind the multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that even victimized NFL star Travis Kelce is an illegal immigrant from India.
Thirty-eight-year-old Siddharth Jawahar was sentenced to 11 years in prison this week for running a $35 million investment wire fraud scheme. At his sentencing, Judge Zachary Bluestone said that through his investment company, Swiftarc Capital LLC, Jawahar "weaponized" investors' trust, resulting in "massive" losses for the victims.
Jawahar raised more than $35 million from investors between 2016 and 2023 and only invested roughly $10 million of that total. He spent the remainder funding personal luxuries, including private jet charters, upscale apartments in Austin and New York, high-end dining, shopping sprees at clothing stores and exclusive private club memberships. He has now been ordered to pay $31.35 million in restitution to his victims.
But that is not the end of Jawahar’s legal issues. He may also be subject to deportation. According to the Department of Justice and a court document reviewed by Fox News Digital, Jawahar is an illegal immigrant from India who has been living in the U.S. since 2005.
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Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs was officially named as one of the victims in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme masterminded by Indian illegal immigrant Siddharth Jawahar. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Further, the DOJ said that after his indictment on three counts of wire fraud and one count of investment-adviser fraud in 2023, Jawahar tried to obstruct justice by coaching a victim into giving a favorable statement to the FBI while lying about his immigration status and finances. He also tried to get his sister to remotely wipe his iPhone to hide evidence, the DOJ said.
Jawahar pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud in January 2026.
Among Jawahar’s victims was Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end who recently married pop superstar Taylor Swift, and several NBA players, including Gary Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Mason Plumlee. The DOJ said Jawahar’s victims resided in Missouri and elsewhere.
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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) looks on before kickoff against the New Orleans Saints during an NFL game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Oct. 7, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Instead of managing a diversified portfolio for his investors, Jawahar allocated roughly 99% of client capital into a single stock, Philip Morris Pakistan. As that position tanked, Jawahar hid the losses, issued falsified statements and used funds from new investors to pay out earlier clients.
Jawahar also managed 17 additional entities that he utilized during his scheme.
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are seen on May 16, 2026, in New York City. (XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
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In an X post, Colin McDonald, an assistant attorney in the DOJ’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, celebrated Jawahar’s sentencing, calling him an "illegal alien fraudster."
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He congratulated the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri and partners for their "great work" on the case.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fraud-mastermind-multi-million-dollar-ponzi-scheme-victimized-travis-kelce-illegal-immigrant