Amit Patel, who worked in financial planning for the Jacksonville Jaguars, allegedly embezzled millions from the franchise to pay gambling debts
Former Jacksonville Jaguars employee Amit Patel – accused of stealing more than $22 million from the team will plead guilty, his attorney stated on Thursday.
Patel, who began working for the Jaguars in 2018, oversaw the organization’s virtual credit card (VCC) program. He allegedly used that position to pay for sports wagers, a condominium unit, two vehicles, travel, and other perks – racking up a total of $22,221,454.40 in stolen funds from the team.
On Thursday, the lawyer representing Patel said that his client has a “serious gambling addiction” and attributed to that as the reason he began stealing money from the organization. He said that Patel had incurred sizable gambling debts.
“It started with a little bit, and as these things usually do, spiraled wildly out of control,” Patel’s attorney Alex King explained to The Athletic this week.
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According to the Jaguars, Patel was fired in Feb. 2023, and the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office has been investigating him for several months.
Shortly after his termination, the Jags launched an internal investigation of their own that found Patel didn’t have access to any of their confidential football information. Also, their investigation ruled out the involvement of other Jaguars employees.
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