High-Profile Athletes Among Victims in String of Fraud and Burglary Cases Tied to Immigration Status of Suspects

A series of federal fraud and burglary cases over the past two years has named some of the country’s most prominent professional athletes as victims, with prosecutors identifying several defendants as people living in the United States illegally or who had overstayed their visas.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was among the investors named by federal prosecutors as a victim in a $35 million Ponzi scheme run by Siddharth Jawahar, a 38-year-old Indian national whom the Justice Department describes as an illegal alien who has lived in the U.S. since 2005. Jawahar pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to 11 years in prison, along with more than $31 million in restitution. Prosecutors said his firm, Swiftarc Capital, collected more than $35 million from investors between 2016 and 2023 but invested only about $10 million of it, hiding losses from a concentrated bet on Philip Morris Pakistan while spending the rest on private jets, luxury hotels, club memberships, and apartments in Austin and New York. Other NBA players were also connected to the fund, according to court records.

Separately, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was the victim of a home burglary on Dec. 9, 2024, while he and the team were playing a game in Dallas. Thieves took roughly $300,000 in jewelry, watches, and designer luggage from his home, including his diamond “JB9” and “#9” chains. Court filings later showed suspects posing with the stolen items.

Federal authorities charged three Chilean nationals in connection with the Burrow burglary, describing them as part of a South American “Theft Group” — one of several transnational criminal networks that prosecutors say enter the U.S. on visas or without authorization to commit high-end residential and commercial burglaries. Police said the men were in the country illegally or had overstayed their visas. Burrow had a security detail at the time, but prosecutors said the crew waited for a shift change and approached through nearby woods.

Pattern extends to other teams

In October 2024, the Kansas City-area homes of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Kelce were burglarized while the team was playing games. Federal complaints also linked Chilean suspects to break-ins at properties associated with Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr., a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player, and other NFL and NBA athletes.

Prosecutors said the crew behind these burglaries stole more than $2 million in valuables total, using public game schedules to time their break-ins, along with rented cars, fake identification, and interstate transport of stolen goods. All seven Chilean nationals charged in connection with the scheme were in the country illegally, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. NBC News later reported that some of the suspects had entered the country under the U.S.–Chile Visa Waiver Program, which permits a 90-day stay without a visa, and remained after that period expired.

The athletes involved in these cases have substantial financial resources. Kelce’s net worth is estimated at about $90 million, including more than $111 million in career NFL salary plus endorsement and media income. Burrow signed a 2023 contract extension averaging $55 million annually, worth $275 million overall. Mahomes earns more than $50 million per year on a contract exceeding $500 million in total value.

Commentary on immigration enforcement

Brian Lonergan, director of strategic communications and content at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, wrote in a Breitbart News column that these cases illustrate broader gaps in immigration vetting and enforcement. He pointed to ICE’s non-detained docket, which as reported in 2024 included hundreds of thousands of people with criminal convictions who are living in the country illegally, among them more than 10,000 robbery convictions. He also cited reports of the Latin American gang Tren de Aragua establishing criminal operations in cities including New York and in Colorado.

Lonergan argued that Chile’s visa-waiver status allows travelers to bypass consular interviews, and that overstay enforcement has lagged. He noted that border encounters reached historic highs during the Biden administration and that interior removals of visa overstays and criminal noncitizens have not kept pace. “Some of the wealthiest among us were unable to avoid becoming victims of illegal alien crime,” Lonergan wrote, calling for stricter border enforcement and the closure of immigration loopholes.