Who is Amit Patel? Former Jaguars employee accused of allegedly stealing over $22,000,000 from franchise

Court documents reveal former Jacksonville Jaguars employee Amit Patel allegedly stole over $22 million in four years. The documents were filed earlier this week in a United States District Court in Jacksonville, Florida, though the team was not named in the filing.

However, the Jaguars eventually confirmed that Patel used his affiliation with the squad to pull off his alleged criminal activity. Patel's attorney did not respond to interview requests. The National Football League also declined to comment on the matter.

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Amit Patel was Jaguars' financial planning and analysis manager

According to The Athletic's Katie Strang and Kalyn Kahler, Amit Patel worked for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2018 until his firing in February 2023. He was listed in the team's media guides from 2018 to 2022 as involved in financial planning and analysis.

Patel started as a coordinator before being promoted to manager. His role gave him access to the team's department budgets and financial statements. He also administered the Jaguars' virtual credit card program for authorized employees as funding for business-related expenses.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars confirmed Patel's firing via an official statement. The team cooperated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Attorney's Office of Florida's Middle District during the investigation.

The Jaguars also shared through the statement that Amit Patel had no access to football strategy and that he acted alone in this alleged scheme.

Weeks after the reports came out, Amit Patel pleaded gulity. The former Jaguars employee will be facing up to 30 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.

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What did Amit Patel steal from the Jaguars?

The court filing states that Amit Patel's access to the VCC program allowed him to make fraudulent transactions starting in September 2019. He allegedly hid those transactions by duplicating recurring transactions like hotel and airfare expenses.

Patel allegedly inflated the amounts of recurring transactions by entering bogus expenses that might look plausible on paper. He allegedly used the money he stole to purchase a condominium in Ponte Vedra Beach, a Tesla Model 3 sedan, and a Nissan pickup.

He also allegedly funded private rental residences, chartered jets, and the booking of luxury hotels for himself and his friends. Patel also reportedly used the money to buy cryptocurrency, pay for a country club membership, and pay a retainer with a criminal defense law firm.

The former Jaguars employee is also being accused of using the funds he allegedly stole to buy luxury wristwatches and betting on online gambling websites. He also allegedly used a portion of the $22 million for concert and sporting event tickets and sports memorabilia.

These transactions had Patel charged with one count of illegal monetary transactions and one count of wire fraud. If proven guilty, he will be required to forfeit property worth at least $22,221,454.40 or equivalent to the proceeds of the alleged offense.