Jacksonville Jaguars' ex-employee facing charges of stealing over $22 million. Check details of accused

A former Jacksonville Jaguars employee is facing accusations of embezzling over $22 million from the NFL team to support an extravagant lifestyle, as per court documents filed in US District Court this week, according to reports.

According to the court filing, former financial manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Amit Patel, allegedly diverted the funds to finance online gambling, cover private travel and accommodations for himself and associates, procure sports tickets, acquire a new Tesla car, Nissan pickup truck, invest in cryptocurrency, and purchase a property in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

Additionally, Patel reportedly bought a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch valued at over $95,000, fully paid for with the "proceeds of his fraud scheme."


A statement from the Jaguars confirmed they are "Business A" referred to as the victim in the documents. "We can confirm that in February 2023, the team terminated the employment of the individual named in the filing," the team said in a statement.

Patel is accused of using the money to buy two vehicles — a Tesla and Nissan pickup truck — a condominium in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach, a designer watch for $95,000, cryptocurrency and place bets with online gambling sites, according to the filing, as per an AP report.

He also allegedly used the money to buy sports memorabilia, a country club membership, spa treatments and tickets to sporting events and concerts. And he chartered private jets for himself and friends and lodged a retainer with a criminal defense law firm, the AP report stated.

Patel's attorney did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Patel is listed in Jaguars’ media guides from 2018-22. His titles during those years were coordinator, financial planning and analysis, and then manager, financial planning and analysis.

Patel oversaw the company’s monthly financial statements and department budgets and served as the club’s administrator of its virtual credit card program, which according to the filing allowed authorized employees to "request VCC’s for business-related purchases or expenses".

Patel's authority over the VCC program allowed him to make the fraudulent transactions, the filing said. He allegedly duplicated and inflated transactions for items such as catering, airfare and hotel charges and filed fake transactions that seemed legit.

FAQs

Q1. Who is Jacksonville Jaguars's ex-employee?
A1. Jacksonville Jaguars's ex-employee is Amit Patel.

Q2. What has Amit Patel done?
A2. Amit Patel is accused of using the money to buy two vehicles — a Tesla and Nissan pickup truck — a condominium in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach, a designer watch for $95,000, cryptocurrency and place bets with online gambling sites, according to the filing, as per an AP report.