The Jacksonville Jaguars are suing Amit Patel, the former employee who stole $22 million from the team, for $66.6 million in damages.
As reported by The Athletic, the lawsuit was filed Thursday in Duval County (Fla.) Circuit Court.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are suing Amit Patel, the former employee who stole $22 million from the team, for $66.6 million in damages.
As reported by The Athletic, the lawsuit was filed Thursday in Duval County (Fla.) Circuit Court.
Patel, who worked in the Jaguars' financial planning and analysis department, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and an illegal monetary transaction in December 2023. He was sentenced in March in U.S. District Court to more than six years in prison.
Related: Former Employee Who Stole $22M from Jaguars Gets 78 Months
According to Lukas Weese of The Athletic, Patel stole from the Jaguars over four years by creating fraudulent charges on the club’s virtual credit card and then covering his tracks by sending falsified files to the team’s accounting department. He used the stolen money to buy a luxury vehicle, a condominium, a designer watch worth over $95,000 and over $200,000 on golf memorabilia, including over $47,000 for the putter Tiger Woods used to win the 1996 U.S. Amateur Championship. He also purchased cryptocurrency, splurged on luxury travel for himself and others, and used the funds to retain a criminal defense lawyer, Weese reported.
Alex King, who represented Patel in the criminal case, previously told The Athletic that the vast majority of the $22 million he stole were gambling losses. Patel placed bets on football and daily fantasy sports with online gambling sites. According to the lawsuit filed by the Jaguars on Thursday, Patel’s fraud was discovered in February 2023 when he placed a sports bet in the state of Kansas, violating state law and NFL policy.
Related: Former Jaguars Employee Accused of Stealing $22M From Team
The Jaguars allege fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty and civil theft. A Florida statute allows plaintiffs to recover three times actual damages in civil theft cases.
