Taylor Swift's Husband Named in Court Over a $35M Ponzi, Operator to Repay $31M After Texas Told It to Stop

Taylor Swift's husband, Travis Kelce, was named in court as a victim of a $35 million Ponzi scheme whose operator kept taking investor money even after Texas regulators ordered him to stop.

Siddharth Jawahar was sentenced to 11 years in prison on 15 September 2026 after pleading guilty in January 2026 to three counts of wire fraud.

US District Judge Zachary M Bluestone ordered him to pay $31.35 million in restitution. Prosecutors said Jawahar took more than $35 million from investors between July 2016 and December 2023, while investing only about $10 million.

The more than $35 million figure is the total prosecutors attributed to the scheme, not Kelce's individual investment or loss. Kelce has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Forbes identified him on 14 June 2021 as an investor in the Swiftarc Ventures Labs Fund, an early-stage vehicle sponsored by Swiftarc Ventures. Prosecutors later identified Kelce among the victims of Jawahar's scheme but did not disclose his investment amount or the date he invested.

Texas Ordered Swiftarc To Stop

The Texas State Securities Board revoked Swiftarc Capital LLC's investment adviser registration on 7 June 2022 and ordered the firm and Jawahar to cease and desist from fraud. The regulator said Swiftarc Fund LP was effectively illiquid after 99% of its assets were concentrated in Philip Morris Pakistan, a thinly traded stock.

By 25 May 2022, the stock was trading at 541 rupees a share. Yet Texas said Jawahar had instructed the fund administrator to report the holding at 4,000 rupees a share. The fund also had nearly $5 million in outstanding redemption requests.

In early 2020, Jawahar solicited a $250,000 investment without disclosing the fund's concentration in Philip Morris Pakistan or its redemption obligations. All $250,000 was then used to partially satisfy redemption requests from two existing investors.

$1M Came in After the Ban

The federal indictment, unsealed in January 2024, says Jawahar continued soliciting and receiving investor money after the Texas order without telling new investors about the cease-and-desist. One investor gave him $1 million weeks after the 7 June 2022 order, according to prosecutors.

The scheme continued until December 2023. Court records put the total amount taken from investors at $35.61 million, while prosecutors said only about $10 million was invested.

The Justice Department said Jawahar also used investor money for private jets, luxury hotels, luxury apartments in Austin and New York City, private-club memberships, clothing-store shopping sprees and expensive restaurant outings.

The case involved 64 victims, according to the US Attorney's Office. Jawahar was ordered to repay $31.35 million to victims, although the public record does not disclose how much of that restitution, if any, relates specifically to Kelce.

Kelce's Cheque Date Is Still Unknown

Forbes' 14 June 2021 report named Kelce, Gary Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr and Mason Plumlee as investors in the Swiftarc Ventures Labs Fund, an early-stage vehicle sponsored by Swiftarc Ventures. The Texas order concerned Swiftarc Capital LLC and Swiftarc Fund LP.

The Justice Department's sentencing materials separately list Swiftarc Venture Labs Fund LP among the entities Jawahar managed or used. Kelce's investment amount and date remain unknown. The public record does not establish whether his investment was made before or after Texas revoked Swiftarc Capital's registration on 7 June 2022.

Jawahar continued taking investor money after the Texas order. He must now repay $31.35 million.