St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Siddharth Jawahar, an Indian-origin investment adviser and founder of Texas-based Swiftarc Capital LLC, has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme that defrauded 64 investors, including NFL star Travis Kelce, the husband of singer Taylor Swift.
A federal court in St. Louis sentenced Jawahar on September 15, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. The court also ordered him to pay $31.35 million in restitution to the victims.
According to prosecutors, Jawahar's investment firm collected more than $35 million from investors between July 2016 and December 2023. However, only about $10 million of the money was actually invested. The scheme involved using funds from newer investors to repay earlier investors while giving clients misleading information about the performance of their investments.
Prosecutors said a major portion of the investment money was placed in a single overseas asset, including an investment connected to Philip Morris Pakistan. When the investment declined in value, Jawahar allegedly failed to inform investors about the losses and instead gave them the impression that their investments were generating profits.
The funds were also used for personal expenses, according to court filings. Prosecutors said Jawahar spent investor money on private jet travel, luxury accommodation, private club memberships, expensive shopping and high-end dining.
Travis Kelce was identified in court as one of the 64 victims. However, authorities have not disclosed how much Kelce invested or the amount of any individual loss. Kelce has been identified in the case solely as a victim, and there is no allegation of wrongdoing against him.
Jawahar was indicted in 2023 and later pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors also accused him of attempting to interfere with the investigation after his indictment, including efforts to influence a victim's statement and conceal potential evidence.
With the federal court's sentence, Jawahar will serve 11 years in prison and is required to pay $31.35 million in restitution to those affected by the investment scheme.
