A former Jaguars employee who embezzled more than $22 million from the NFL team was sentenced to 78 months in prison on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville.
Amit Patel, 31, pleaded guilty in December to one count of wire fraud and one count of making an illegal monetary transaction.
He showed no emotion Tuesday as Judge Henry Lee Adams Jr. delivered his sentence of 78 months on each count, to run concurrently.
Patel was the Jaguars’ manager of financial planning before his firing in February 2023. Prosecutors said that he used a scheme involving a corporate virtual credit card to pay for cars, a condominium, luxury goods, online betting, the chartering of private jets and more over a span of 40 months from 2019-23.
Patel and some of his family members addressed the court before sentencing, detailing his addictions to alcohol and gambling.
Patel’s lawyer previously told The Athletic that the Patel lost “the vast majority” of the stolen money to gambling, often on football and daily fantasy sports.
Patel told the court the gambling losses “snowballed” out of control.
“I stand before you embarrassed, ashamed and disappointed for my actions,” Patel said, per The Athletic, as he explained how he squandered his “dream job” and future opportunities. “Due to my poor decisions, I ruined those opportunities.”
Jaguars chief legal officer Megha Parekh read a victim-impact statement.
“He was our teammate and he betrayed us,” Parekh said.
Prosecutors said he has returned $1.89 million but still owes more than $21.1 million in restitution.
–Field Level Media