A former Jaguars employee has been accused of stealing $22 million from the team.
And, no, it’s not Blake Bortles.
According to TheAthletic.com, former front-office employee Amit Patel allegedly embezzled from the Jaguars by “exploiting the organization’s virtual credit card program.” Patel allegedly used the money to buy two vehicles, a condominium, and a designer watch, among other things. He also allegedly purchased cryptocurrency, placed bets with online gambling sites, and chartered personal jets.
The team was not named in the federal filing, but the Jaguars have confirmed that Patel is accused of stealing from the franchise.
“We can confirm that in February 2023, the team terminated the employment of the individual named in the filing,” the team said in a statement, per TheAthletic.com. “Over the past several months we have cooperated fully with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida during their investigation and thank them for their efforts in this case. As was made clear in the charges, 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. This individual had no access to confidential football strategy, personnel or other football information. 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 was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of illegal monetary transactions. He is accused of stealing at least $22,221,454.40 from the Jaguars.