Peavy could lose $16 million-plus because of investor.

PITTSBURGH — Giants right-hander Jake Peavy was one of three professional athletes defrauded of millions by a shady investment adviser, according to a lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission that was unsealed Tuesday.

Peavy, former major league pitcher Roy Oswalt and NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez are the three unnamed clients referenced in the court filing, according to Bloomberg. The filing states that Ash Narayan took more than $33 million that was supposed to be directed into conservative investments and instead secretly funneled it into “a high-risk, flailing, and debt-ridden private company” in which he held a personal stake.

Peavy stands to be out $15.105 million that Narayan invested in The Ticket Reserve Inc. (TTR) plus $957,432 in undisclosed finder’s fees that the adviser personally pocketed, according to a court filing that the U.S. District Court in Dallas received May 24.

The filing states Peavy had not even heard of TTR until February, when Oswalt fired Narayan and called Peavy to inform him that unauthorized investments were being made. Peavy left the Giants once during the spring and at least once during the season to make depositions in the case. Giants officials have known of Peavy’s situation since the spring.

Peavy, who began the season 1-5 with an 8.21 ERA in nine starts through May 20, acknowledged Tuesday that the situation has been a distraction.

“I’ve done my best to stay focused,” Peavy said. “Maybe at times I haven’t done my best. But I’ve had support behind me, and my last month is indicative of what I can do here.”

Peavy a 1.76 ERA in his last five starts.

According to the SEC filing, Narayan forged a relationship with Peavy, Oswalt and Sanchez by appealing to their Christian faith and interest in charity work. Peavy had directed that investments should be conservative to minimize any risk of losing principal. The filing states said signatures “were forged, faked, or copied from other documents without (Peavy’s) consent.”

Narayan and his co-defendants also “made Ponzilike payments” in order to prolong the scheme, according to the SEC filing.