Ex-Jacksonville Jaguars Employee Allegedly Stole $22 Million from Team to Fund Lavish Lifestyle
The former employee used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle for more than four years, according to reports
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EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.A former Jacksonville Jaguars financial employee has been accused of stealing more than $22 million from the franchise over a four-year period and using the money to fund a luxurious beachside lifestyle, according to federal authorities who filed charges this week in the U.S. District Court.
The Athletic first reported Wednesday that Amit Patel was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of illegal monetary transaction by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
The outlet reports that Patel, who worked for the Jaguars from 2018 up until this year, may be required to forfeit more than $22,221,454.40 in property, which equals the amount of money the former financial employee is accused of stealing from the team.
The U.S. District Court filing says Patel was put in charge of the NFL franchise’s virtual credit card program (VCC) in 2019, allegedly allowing him to duplicate charges and pocket the money from the fabricated transactions, according to ESPN.
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In a statement given to The Athletic Thursday, Patel's lawyer said that his client has a “serious gambling addiction” and intends to plead guilty to his charges of wire fraud and an illegal monetary transaction.
“Almost the entirety of the funds Mr. Patel used from the VCC were spent on the gambling websites and efforts to win money back, with the anticipation he would repay the funds with the winnings and make the Jaguars whole,” King told the outlet. “Unfortunately, Mr. Patel’s compulsive gambling only exacerbated the situation, and he continued to misappropriate funds in an effort to have gambling winnings offset his significant losses.”
Patel held various positions within the team’s financial department throughout his five years working for the franchise until he was fired in February, according to USA Today.
The Athletic reported that Patel allegedly used the money he stole from the Jaguars to buy a opulent condo in Ponte Vedra Beach, multiple luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, a country club membership and a watch worth $95,000.
The former Jaguars employee also used the money to fund lavish trips on private planes and high-end hotel rooms, according to the outlet.
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The Jaguars were not named in the U.S. District Court filings, according to multiple reports, however the team did confirm in a statement to The Athletic that Patel worked for the franchise and the team was impacted by his alleged crimes.
"We can confirm that in February 2023, the team terminated the employment of the individual named in the filing," the team’s statement read. "Over the past several months we have cooperated fully with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida during their investigation and thank them for their efforts in this case. As was made clear in the charges, this individual was a former manager of financial planning and analysis who took advantage of his trusted position to covertly and intentionally commit significant fraudulent financial activity at the team's expense for personal benefit.”
The Jaguars added: “This individual had no access to confidential football strategy, personnel or other football information” and that “the team engaged experienced law and accounting firms to conduct a comprehensive independent review, which concluded that no other team employees were involved in or aware of his criminal activity."
PEOPLE has reached out to the Jaguars for comment.
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