Jaguars File $66.6M Lawsuit Against Ex-Employee Who Stole $22M

The Jacksonville Jaguars sued former employee Amit Patel in Florida state court on Thursday for $66.6 million in damages for stealing $22 million from the team over 3½ years as the overseer of the team’s virtual credit card program, according to ESPN’s Xuan Thai.

Amit Patel pleaded guilty in federal court in December to stealing $22 million from the Jacksonville Jaguars

Patel, 31, pleaded guilty in federal court in December to stealing $22 million from the team. In the lawsuit, the Jags alleged fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, and civil theft. The claims are based on Patel’s admissions in federal court.

In March, U.S. District Judge Henry Lee Adams Jr. sentenced Patel to 6½ years in prison and ordered him to pay $21.1 million in restitution to the Jaguars. Patel was also ordered to attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings.

According to court documents, Patel transferred approximately $20 million to FanDuel and $1 million to DraftKings. He then used the rest of the stolen money on other expenditures. Spendings included nearly $600,000 at Apple and more than $40,000 at Amazon and Best Buy combined.

Additionally, Patel transferred $5 million from his FanDuel and DraftKings accounts to his PayPal and other personal accounts, prosecutors said. He also used it on a variety of purchases to live a “life of luxury,” including purchasing Tiger Woods’ 1996 putter and spending $78,800 on private jet charters.

Patel stole $22 million to live a life of luxury and pay off gambling debts

Patel, 31, also stole the money to “pay off gambling debts,” according to court documents. The Jaguars said he stole the majority of that money, $20 million, in just eight months.

“I stand before you embarrassed, shamed, and disappointed by my actions,” Patel said during the hearing. “I can never truly convey how sorry I am to everyone affected by my actions.”

Furthermore, Patel’s scheme was discovered in February 2023 after he placed a sports wager in Kansas. This violated both state law and the NFL’s gambling policy.

The NFL’s gambling policy prohibits club and league employees from betting on any sport and from participating in daily fantasy sports. In April, the league reinstated six players from gambling suspensions, including Isaiah Rodgers Sr.

Patel’s lawyer, Alex King, said in March that Patel started gambling online in high school and used his mother’s credit card to play at casinos and poker rooms while in college.

While working at Deloitte in 2017, Patel used a company American Express card to incur gambling debts. However, he paid back the money with the help of his older brother before he was detected. His debt was ultimately paid off with help from a $16,000 debt consolidation loan.