A Jacksonville Jaguars employee stole $22 million from the team to buy a condo and a Tesla Model 3 — and hire a defense lawyer, prosecutors allege

A view of a Jacksonville Jaguars helmet. Perry Knotts/Getty Images

• A former Jacksonville Jaguars employee is accused of stealing $22 million from the team. 
• Prosecutors allege the employee used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle. 
• He also used the funds to hire a defense lawyer. the court documents allege. 

A former employee of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been accused of stealing more than $22 million from the NFL team and spending it on a lavish lifestyle that included buying a Tesla Model 3 and a condo, and also hiring a defense lawyer, according to court documents filed this week.

The court documents, filed in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida, allege that Amit Patel, a former financial planning manager for the team, made $22.2 million in fraudulent charges through the Jaguars’ corporate virtual credit card system between September 2019 and February 2023.

While the court documents don’t directly name the Jaguars as the business Patel worked at, the team told The Athletic it was the victim of Patel’s alleged crimes.

“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 shared with The Athletic. “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.”

An attorney for Patel did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

The court documents allege that he used the money to place bets online, buy a condo in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, pay for travel on private jets and in luxury hotels for him and his friends, buy a Tesla Model 3 and a Nissan pick up truck, and purchase cryptocurrency, sports memorabilia, a $95,000 watch, sports tickets, and more.

He also used it to “lodge a retainer with a criminal defense law firm,” the court documents allege.

The documents allege that Patel didn’t report the purchases to the Jaguars and instead hid them from the team.

The Jacksonville Jaguars did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.

“As was made clear in the charges, this individual was a former manager of financial planning and analysis who took advantage of his trusted position to covertly and intentionally commit significant fraudulent financial activity at the team’s expense for personal benefit,” the Jaguars’ statement to The Athletic added. “This individual had no access to confidential football strategy, personnel or other football information. The team engaged experienced law and accounting firms to conduct a comprehensive independent review, which concluded that no other team employees were involved in or aware of his criminal activity.”

Patel has been charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of illegal monetary transaction.

Prosectors say in court documents that if Patel is convicted, they want him to forfeit at least $22 million.