ST. LOUIS (First Alert 4/Gray News) - One victim in a multimillion-dollar scheme was Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, according to prosecutors.
The case was prosecuted in St. Louis and the defendant was sentenced Tuesday to 11 years in prison.
EN ESPAÑOL | Travis Kelce fue víctima en esquema de fraude de más de $25 millones, según fiscales
Very little was said about Kelce in court other than briefly naming him as a victim. Prosecutors did not comment further about Kelce’s connection, saying they do not discuss individual victims. The Chiefs organization has not responded to a request for comment.
A 2021 Forbes article states Kelce was an investor in a fund created by Swiftarc, which the defendant, Sid Jawahar, co-founded.
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Jawahar pleaded guilty in January to federal wire fraud charges related to an investment scheme. Prosecutors said Jawahar used money made from new investors to repay older financiers “and to fuel an extravagant lifestyle that included flights on private planes, stays at luxury hotels and expensive outings at fancy restaurants.”
Jawahar is currently in the Ste. Genevieve County Jail. In court documents, a judge noted Jawahar is from India and has been in the U.S. illegally since 2005.
U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., asked a federal judge for leniency for an “illegal immigrant” who engaged in a Ponzi scheme that cost victims more than $25 million.
Prosecutors said Jawahar also paid a consultant to ensure a positive article was written about him that could then be used to “influence the judge” who was set to sentence him. Their conversations were recorded on jail phone calls.
Graves wrote a letter to U.S. District Judge Zachary Bluestone, recommending a sentence of four years for Jawahar. The letter mentioned no personal connection between the congressman and Jawahar.
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Bluestone did not heed the congressman’s recommendation. Instead, he sentenced Jawahar to 11 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervision.
Prosecutors allege that on Aug. 24, Jawahar engaged with a political consulting firm called Axiom Strategies for $10,000 to “assist with the development and coordination of approximately one to two advocacy or support letters for consideration in connection with Client’s forthcoming sentencing.”
According to a docket entry from Sept. 10, Graves submitted a letter on congressional letterhead, urging the federal judge to consider a 48-month sentence for Jawahar, a fraction of the maximum sentence. The Congressman stated he was writing in his personal capacity.
Graves’ office was contacted multiple times but did not respond. Axiom Strategies and its CEO, Jeff Roe, are connected to Graves. His campaign has paid Axiom $1.77 million since 2006, according to Federal Election Commission records analyzed. Axiom Strategies has not responded either.
Jawahar’s attorney, Doug Passon, said his client was remorseful for his actions.
In a recorded jail phone call on Aug. 31, prosecutors said Roe and Jawahar discussed the letter. Jawahar asked whether the letter would be from a “state senator,” to which Roe responded “it’s gonna be someone good.”
Graves, according to the filing, then signed a letter Sept. 3, which first referenced the judge, writing: “I know your professional pedigree—shaped by elite analytical training, rigorous appellate oversight and a deep grounding in our state’s legal infrastructure.”
The letter then went on to advocate for Jawahar, who the congressman claims has chosen accountability.
“A structured, measured sentence enables him the eventual opportunity to re-enter society as a productive economic agent capable of continuing that restitution.”
During the sentencing hearing, Bluestone said he was troubled that no restitution was being paid by Jawahar. In court, Jawahar indicated he was committed to making restitution.
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Prosecutors said Jawahar is expected to be deported after he serves his prison term.
Prosecutors in their filings also pointed to an article published about Jawahar in the Jefferson City News Tribune, which praised his supposed work of creating “a comprehensive, peer-to-peer academic and vocational academy” inside the facility.
Officials at the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center said, “We have never had an incarcerated individual, including this particular detainee, start any programs within our facility.”
Prosecutors, in their court filings, point to the recorded jail call in which Jawahar told Roe that the purpose of the article is “to influence the judge.”
Roe, prosecutors said, then told Jawahar he could geographically target the article to the judge’s home.
In a phone call transcript filed in court, Roe said, “I’m gonna take that and I’ll put a little money around it and geofence his house and so he’ll see it…”
Prosecutors, in their filing, wrote that Jawahar paid a political consultant thousands of dollars to influence the court, instead of paying his victims back the money he stole.
Bluestone called the attempts to influence him a “ludicrous idea” during the sentencing hearing.
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