Prosecutors listed Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as a victim of a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme that was prosecuted in St. Louis, according to a St Louis-based KMOV investigative reporter who was in the courtroom when his name was read.
Little was said about Kelce in court, other than him being named among at least 64 victims in the fraud case, according to the report. Kelce's name is not included in the indictment or judgement in the case, both of which were obtained by USA TODAY Sports. Victim impact statements in the case are sealed.
Kelce was listed as an investor in a fund created by Swiftarc, which was founded by the defendant in the case, Siddarth Jawahar, according to a 2021 Forbes article. Basketball players Tim Hardaway
Jr., Gary Harris and Mason Plumlee were also listed as investors in the fund by Forbes, but it wasn't immediately clear if they were also victims of the fraud scheme.
The indictment obtained by USA TODAY Sports outlined that Jawahar "took tens of millions of dollars from his investors" instead of making promised investments on their behalf.
Jawahar then used money acquired from new investors to pay off his previous investors. He then used the remainder to fund "extravagant lifestyle expenses, including payments for flights on private planes, stays at luxury hotels, and expensive outings at lavish restaurants."
Jawahar, 38, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Zachary M. Bluestone to 11 years in prison and will also be required to pay $31.35 million in restitution to his victims.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chiefs' Travis Kelce named as victim in multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme: Report
