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Judge Sentences Ponzi Operator to 11 Years, Targeting Kelce

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 11:31 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Travis Kelce Ponzi Victim

A U.S. federal court identified Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as a victim of a massive Ponzi scheme.
Siddharth Jawahar, 38, received an 11-year prison sentence for operating the fraud.
Jawahar was ordered to pay $31.35 million in restitution after siphoning more than $35 million from investors.
He used investors’ money for private jets, luxury hotels, apartments and club memberships.

Summary

Judge Rejects Leniency

Judge Zachary Bluestone sentenced Siddharth Jawahar to 11 years in prison, rejecting Rep. Sam Graves’s leniency request.
Siddharth Jawahar paid $10,000 to Axiom Strategies on August 24 to obtain advocacy letters for his sentencing.
Rep. Sam Graves signed a September 3 support letter urging a 48-month sentence, contrary to prosecutors’ recommendation.
Prosecutors presented recordings of Jawahar coaching the victim and lying about his immigration status.

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Travis Kelce Ponzi Victim

A U.S. federal court identified Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as a victim of a massive Ponzi scheme.
Siddharth Jawahar, 38, received an 11-year prison sentence for operating the fraud.
Jawahar was ordered to pay $31.35 million in restitution after siphoning more than $35 million from investors.
He used investors’ money for private jets, luxury hotels, apartments and club memberships.

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