TAMPA (WFLA) – A Ponte Vedra Beach Florida man pleaded guilty after the Justice Department said he embezzled around $22 million from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
On Friday, United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced Amit Patel, 31, entered a plea deal and faces a maximum of 30 years in federal prison.
Patel reportedly operated a fraud scheme using his role as administrator for the Jags virtual credit card program to make hundreds of purchases and transactions unrelated to the business.
Among the transactions, Patel placed bets with online gambling sites, purchased a condo in Ponte Vedra Beach, paid for travel for himself and friends, bought a new Tesla Model 3 and Nissan pickup truck, purchased a country club membership, purchased cryptocurrency and NFTs, and bought sports memorabilia, luxury watches, and tickets to concerts and sporting events.
To hide the illegal transactions, Patel reportedly used his administrative status to duplicate legitimate transactions on expense reports so they matched the total amount charged without showing his personal use of the cards.
The fraud took place between September 2019 until Patel was fired from the Jaguars in February of 2023.
As part of his plea deal, Patel will forfeit $22,221,454.40, the proceeds of the wire fraud, as well as the condo, the Tesla Model 3, and the Patek Philippe Nautilus wristwatch.
