Meet Amit Patel has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. He worked for the Jacksonville Jaguars and took millions to live a fancy life with luxury hotels and a cool Tesla. He started small, climbing the job ladder in the Jaguars, but then things got messy.
Now, Patel is in trouble, facing charges for doing some tricky stuff with money. How he allegedly pulled off this big heist and his affiliation with the team has drawn wide attention as of late.
Who is Amit Patel?
Amit Patel is an Indian-American employed as coordinator, financial planner, and analyst, for the Jaguars, who recently dropped Josh Pederson.
He worked for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2018 until his firing in February 2023. He was involved in financial planning and analysis, listed in team media guides.
Amit started as a coordinator and was later promoted to manager. His responsibilities included overseeing the team’s department budgets and financial statements, as well as managing the Jaguars’ virtual credit card program for authorized employees. However, he no longer works with the team because of the stealing accusations.
Amit Patel accused of stealing $22 million
The United States Attorney’s Office charged Amit Patel with wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions, alleging that he stole over $22 million from the Jaguars across four years. The charges were filed in the U.S. District Court in Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Jaguars confirmed Patel’s termination in February 2023 and cooperated with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office during the investigation.
“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.
“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.”
The court filing alleges that Amit Patel stole $22,221,454.40, using the funds for personal purchases, including a condominium, a Tesla Model 3, cryptocurrency, private jet charters, luxury hotel stays, a country club membership, and expensive watches.
In addition to the primary purchases, Patel allegedly used the stolen funds for online gambling, personal travel, electronics, sports memorabilia, spa treatments, concert and sporting event tickets, and home furnishings.
The Jaguars, who have re-signed Calvin Ridley confirmed Patel was engaged in a comprehensive independent review, concluding that no other team employees were involved in or aware of Patel’s criminal activity.
Stay tuned for more updates and do share your thoughts about this case in the comments!
