A former Jaguars employee has been charged with wire fraud after reportedly amassing over $22 million. According to court documents, Amit Patel has been accused of abusing the organization’s virtual credit card program, according to NBC Sports. According to CBS, Patel’s titles with the Jaguars included coordinator, financial planning and analysis, and manager, financial planning and analysis. Former front-office employee Amit Patel allegedly spent the money on two cars, a condo, and a fancy watch, among other things. He is also accused of investing in Bitcoin, placing bets on internet gambling sites, and chartering personal jets.
Patel served for a minimum of five complete seasons as a staff member in the Jaguars’ finance department, beginning in 2018
The Jaguars have confirmed that Patel is accused of embezzling from the franchise, even though the team’s name was not disclosed in the federal case. “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.”
As per information from team media guides, Patel served for a minimum of five complete seasons as a staff member in the Jaguars’ finance department, beginning in 2018. Prosecutors contend that by 2019, he assumed the role of the “sole administrator” for the organization’s virtual credit card program, granting him the authority to sanction new accounts and initiate alterations to the available credit. Additionally, he was tasked with categorizing virtual credit card transactions in business reports.