Travis Kelce Named Victim in Large Ponzi Scheme Raking in Millions: Report - Newsweek

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was identified in federal court as one of at least 64 victims of a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme, according to a local news report.

Kelce, who recently married global pop star Taylor Swift, was briefly named as a victim during the sentencing of Siddarth Jawahar, who pleaded guilty to three federal wire fraud charges and was sentenced Tuesday.

According to the indictment, Jawahar used money from new investors to pay earlier investors—the hallmark of a Ponzi scheme.

Prosecutors did not provide details about Kelce's involvement in the case or disclose how much money he may have lost. The government also declined to comment on individual victims, according to St. Louis television station KMOV.

Kelce's name does not appear in Jawahar's indictment or judgment, but his name was read out in court alongside the other victims. Victim impact statements in the case are sealed.

Neither Kelce nor his wife Swift has publicly commented on the case.

A 2021 Forbes article identified Kelce as an investor in a fund created by Swiftarc, which Jawahar co-founded.

The article also identified NBA players Tim Hardaway Jr., Gary Harris and Mason Plumlee as investors in the fund. It is not immediately clear whether any of those players were also identified as victims in the case.

It is not clear how much Kelce invested in the fund.

Kelce's publicists did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the indictment, Jawahar took tens of millions of dollars from investors rather than making the investments he had promised.

Prosecutors said he used money from new investors to pay earlier investors and spent additional funds on an extravagant lifestyle, including private-plane flights, luxury hotels and expensive restaurants.

Jawahar, 38, pleaded guilty in January to three counts of wire fraud.

U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone sentenced him to 11 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $31.35 million in restitution.

The case also included allegations that Jawahar paid a political consulting firm to help generate support for a shorter sentence. According to court filings cited by KMOV, Jawahar engaged Axiom Strategies for $10,000 in August to help coordinate one or two advocacy or support letters ahead of his sentencing.

Missouri Congressman Sam Graves subsequently sent Bluestone a letter recommending a 48-month sentence, according to a court filing. Graves said he was writing in his personal capacity.

Jawahar ultimately received an 11-year sentence, with Bluestone calling the effort a “ludicrous idea” during the sentencing hearing.

While it has not been disclosed how much Kelce lost in the scheme, the loss is likely a drop in the bucket compared to his net worth.

Swift and Kelce have an estimated combined net worth of about $2.08 billion, based on the latest Forbes estimates.

Swift accounts for the vast majority of the couple's fortune. Forbes estimates her net worth at $2 billion as of September 2026, with her wealth built largely through her music catalog, royalties and touring. Her Eras Tour alone generated more than $2 billion in ticket sales, while Forbes estimates her music catalog is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Kelce, meanwhile, has an estimated net worth of about $80 million, according to Forbes. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end has earned substantial sums through his NFL contracts, endorsements and business ventures, including his New Heights podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce. Forbes reported that Kelce earned about $30 million off the field in 2025 and has a new Chiefs contract worth up to $54.7 million.

That puts Swift's estimated fortune at roughly 25 times Kelce's.

Their combined wealth is an estimate, not a joint financial statement, and individual net-worth figures can change as the value of assets, investments and intellectual property changes.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Gray R. Thomas