The Jacksonville Jaguars are suing a former employee, Amit Patel, who pleaded guilty to embezzling over $22 million from the team, seeking $66.6 million in damages, as reported by ESPN’s Xuan Thai.
The lawsuit claims Patel committed “fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, and civil theft.” Patel admitted guilt to wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions in December and was sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison in March, along with a restitution order of $22.22 million.
Florida law allows plaintiffs to seek treble damages, potentially tripling the lost amount. According to Florida attorney Negin Kordbacheh, this civil suit could help the Jaguars recover more of the stolen funds by seizing Patel’s legally obtained assets in addition to the forfeited items he purchased with the stolen money, such as a Florida condo, a Tesla sedan, and a wristwatch.
Patel, who managed the team’s virtual credit card program, admitted to making hundreds of fraudulent purchases from 2019 to 2023. He duplicated legitimate transactions and created false ones to conceal his activities, spending the stolen money on personal items like his condo, cryptocurrency, and sports betting.
He reportedly lost around $20 million in stolen funds on FanDuel, and the Jaguars have asked the betting site to return the proceeds, though they have not provided an update on this request.