In a saga resembling an NFL version of the George Santos political scandal, a former Jacksonville Jaguars employee has been accused of stealing more than $22 million from the team by taking advantage of a virtual credit card program to fund his own lavish lifestyle.
According to a story first published by The Athletic, Amit Patel, who worked for the team from 2018-23 in various financial planning roles, has been charged in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida with using that team program to buy a series of luxury goods.
Among the items Patel is alleged to have acquired for himself using team funds:
• Condo in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
• Tesla Model 3 sedan and Nissan pickup truck
• Use of private jets and luxury hotels
• $95,000 Patek Philippe watch
• Cryptocurrency and NFTs
• Bets with online gambling sites
• Sports memorabilia and event tickets
Jacksonville wasn’t named in the suit, which refers to the team as “Business A,” but the Jaguars have confirmed they were victimized by Patel and are cooperating with federal officials.
“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 activity at the team’s expense for personal benefit,” the Jaguars said in a statement.
The alleged scheme ran for more than three years. The Jaguars fired Patel in February, and he now faces one count of wire fraud and another of making illegal monetary transactions.
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