Former Jaguars employee ‘is sued by the team for $66MILLION’ after admitting to stealing $22m from franchise

By Jake Nisse and Isabel Baldwin

The Jacksonville Jaguars have reportedly sued a former employee for $66.6million in damages – months after he admitted to stealing $22million from the team.

Amit Patel, a former financial manager for the Jaguars, pleaded guilty  in December to stealing millions through a virtual credit card system used for expenses in Jacksonville.

And now the franchise is looking to recoup three times that amount, as reported by ESPN, after the high-stakes gambler used the money to pay off massive losses and fund a ‘life of luxury,’ the network said.

Patel has already been ordered by a Florida court to pay more than $21million in restitution, and he was sentenced to 78 months in prison.

While Patel committed his crimes over a three-and-a-half year period, the Jaguars said in a Thursday court filing that he stole the majority of the money, $20million, in the span of eight months.

Citing the court filing, ESPN said that Patel sent $20million to FanDuel and $1million to DraftKings.

Amit Patel, a former Jaguars financial manager, was sentenced to 78 months in prison

Patel, 31, worked as a financial manager for the Jaguars from 2018 until February 2023

Patel’s attorney, Alex King, previously said that his client suffers from a gambling addiction and that ‘approximately 99% of the funds misappropriated from the Jaguars’ VCC were gambling losses’. 

King also said his client is ‘deeply remorseful’ and is receiving treatment for his addiction.

The 31-year-old worked for the Jaguars organization from 2018 until February 2023, after betting site FanDuel alerted the NFL to his activity a month prior.

He was accused of using the stolen funds to buy two vehicles – a Tesla and Nissan pickup truck – a condominium in nearby Ponte Vedra Beach, a designer watch for $95,000 and cryptocurrency.

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.

Patel reportedly transferred $5million from his gambling accounts to his PayPal to fund his lifestyle.

The Jaguars have asked FanDuel to reimburse some or all of the $20million that Patel put into the site, ESPN said.

:
Former Jaguars employee ‘is sued by the team for $66MILLION’ after admitting to stealing $22m from franchise

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk