Jeff Roe accused of helping fraudster influence sentencing

Prosecutors allege that Republican political consultant Jeff Roe was hired by Siddharth Jawahar, an Indian national residing illegally in the United States, to orchestrate a media and political influence campaign. According to court documents, Jawahar agreed to pay Roe’s firm, Axiom Strategies, $10,000 to secure favorable media coverage and advocacy-oriented publications to assist with his sentencing.

Jawahar, who defrauded investors of tens of millions of dollars, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. While Jawahar’s attorney denies that any payment was actually made to Roe or Axiom, court transcripts indicate Jawahar discussed the effort to influence the judge during a recorded jail call.

Shortly after the alleged agreement, Missouri Republican Representative Sam Graves sent a letter to U.S. District Judge Zachary Bluestone requesting a reduced sentence of four years for Jawahar. This letter was sent three days after Jawahar inquired during a recorded call whether a political figure could be found to write to the judge on his behalf.