December 8, 2023
NFL Employee Allegedly Stole $22 Million Working For Jacksonville Jaguars
Former Jacksonville Jaguars employee Amit Patel stands accused of embezzling over $22 million from the franchise.
A former Jacksonville Jaguars employee, Amit Patel, is accused of stealing over $22 million from the franchise between 2019 and 2023.
Exploiting the organization’s virtual credit card (VCC) program, Patel allegedly stole the money from the Jaguars organization to fund a lavish lifestyle, complete with high-end vehicles, a condominium, and designer watches.
Court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville, Florida, detailed Patel’s alleged fraudulent activities. While the Jacksonville Jaguars were identified as “Business A” in the federal filing, the team confirmed Patel’s termination in February 2023. It asserted that he held a position unrelated to football strategy or personnel information.
The Jaguars’ statement reads, “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 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.”
Patel, listed in the Jaguars’ media guides from 2018-2022, served as the financial planning and analysis coordinator, later becoming the manager in the same department. The court filing disclosed that he was fired in February 2023.
Having overseen the monthly financial statements and department budgets, Patel’s role as the administrator of the VCC program allowed him to initiate fraudulent transactions from September 2019 onward. The court filing alleges that Patel manipulated recurring VCC transactions, inflated legitimate transaction amounts, and created fictitious transactions to conceal his actions when he stole from the Jaguars.
The misappropriated funds financed Patel’s extravagant lifestyle, contributing to bets on online gambling sites, the purchase of a condominium in Ponte Vedra Beach, luxury vehicles including a Tesla Model 3 sedan and Nissan pickup truck, legal retainer fees, and diverse expenditures ranging from spa treatments to luxury wristwatches.
Patel faces charges of wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions. If convicted, he may be compelled to forfeit assets valued at $22,221,454.40, representing the proceeds of the alleged offense. The suit has sent shockwaves through the NFL community, prompting questions about financial oversight and employee trust within sports organizations.