The employee allegedly spent the money on two cars, a condo, and a designer watch for more than $95,000, among other things.
Perhaps that’s why Trevor Lawrence didn’t have a cart ready after injuring his ankle on Monday.
According to The Athletic, a former Jacksonville Jaguars employee has been accused of stealing more than $22 million from the team using its virtual credit card program.
Amit Patel, who worked for the Jaguars for five years beginning in 2018, allegedly used the money to purchase two vehicles, a condominium, and a $95,000 designer watch, among other costly items.
Patel was mentioned in court records filed earlier this week in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars were not named in the complaint, but they confirmed that they were victims of the alleged offenses.
According to the court filing, Patel used the money to place bets on online gambling websites, buy a condo in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., go on personal trips with friends that included private jet use and luxury hotels, buy a new Tesla Model 3 and Nissan pickup truck, get cryptocurrency and spa treatments, and set up a retainer with a criminal defense law firm, among other things.
According to the lawsuit, Patel’s power over the virtual credit card program allowed him to make the payments, which included allegedly duplicated and inflated transactions for goods such as catering, airfare, and hotel expenditures, as well as fraudulent transactions that never occurred.
“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 obtained by The Athletic. “Over the past several months, we have fully cooperated with the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida in their investigation, and we appreciate their efforts in this case.”
“As stated in the charges, this individual was a former financial planning and analysis manager who used his trusted position to covertly and intentionally commit significant fraudulent financial activity at the expense of the team for personal gain.” This person had no access to sensitive football strategy, personnel, or other football information. The team hired seasoned law and accounting companies to undertake a thorough independent investigation, which established that no other team members were involved in or were aware of his criminal actions.”
From 2018 to 2022, Patel is listed in the team’s media guides. During that time, he held the positions of coordinator, financial planning and analysis, and manager, financial planning and analysis. According to the filing, he was fired in February 2023.
Patel’s attorney did not respond quickly to a message seeking comment.
