Jaguars File $66.6M Lawsuit Against Former Employee Who Stole $22M

Julia StumbaughJuly 19, 2024

Perry Knotts/Getty Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars are suing an ex-employee who pleaded guilty to stealing over $22 million from the team for $66.6 million in damages, according to ESPN’s Xuan Thai.

The Jaguars allege that former employee Amit Patel committed “fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty and civil theft,” Thai reported.

Amit Patel pleaded guilty to wire fraud and illegal monetary transaction in December. He was sentenced in March to six years and six months in federal prison and ordered to pay full restitution of $22.22 million to the Jaguars.

Under Florida law, plaintiffs can seek treble damages worth up to three times of the damages lost.

The civil suit could also offer the Jaguars more flexibility in recovering the stolen money from Patel, Florida attorney Negin Kordbacheh told Thai.

Patel already agreed to forfeit items he admitted to purchasing with the stolen money, including a Florida condo, Tesla sedan and a wristwatch, according to court documents. If the Jaguars win the civil suit, the team could recoup more funds by additionally seizing Patel’s legally gained assets, according to Kordbacheh.

Patel formerly administered the team’s virtual credit card program, which allowed employees to make company purchases on digital cards. He pleaded guilty to making hundreds of fraudulent purchases using the program between 2019 and 2023.

In a plea agreement made while facing a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, Patel said he duplicated legitimate transactions and created false ones to hide his own charges. He then said he spent the money on personal items including his condo, cryptocurrency and sports betting.

Patel lost approximately $20 in stolen funds on FanDuel, and the Jaguars subsequently asked the betting site to return the proceeds, ESPN reported in February. The Jaguars declined to provide an update on that request, per Thai.