Gambling addict NFL employee scams USD 20 million

An employee of the Jacksonville Jaguars American football team has defrauded his club of more than $22 million. The former NFL employee is said to have had a gambling addiction and gambled away most of the club's money on the internet. But how did the manager of financial planning and analysis manage to steal such a large sum?

The former general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team, Amit Patel, is accused of embezzling more than $22.2 million from his club, according to prosecutors. He is alleged to have used the team's virtual credit card over a long period of time. To avoid detection, the ex-manager altered legitimate payments and added completely fake ones. Earlier this summer, we reported on the NFL's double standards when it comes to gambling rules.

Ex-manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars is said to have been addicted to gambling

According to prosecutors, the former employee allegedly misappropriated the funds between 2019 and 2023. In total, losses of at least USD 22,221,454 were incurred during this period.

The defendant's lawyer told the court that his client had a serious gambling addiction. Specifically, the ex-employee is alleged to have gambled away much of the club's embezzled funds at DraftKingz and FanDuel. These are both US sports betting and fantasy sports companies. However, it is also possible that Patel simply used the online gambling companies to launder the money.

Ex-manager lived a life of luxury

Ex-manager Patel gambled away much of the club's embezzled funds. However, there was still money left over which he spent on expensive trips to luxury hotels. He is also alleged to have bought a luxury apartment in Florida. He is also alleged to have bought luxury watches, cars and cryptocurrencies. It was only in February this year that the Jaguars found out about the offender, who was immediately fired.

It remains unclear whether his employer was able to recover at least some of the embezzled funds. A few months ago, an article published on GambleJoe reported that an Indian businessman had lost €5.5 million in a gambling scam.

How could the offences remain undetected for several years?

Patel admitted to the Federal Court that he had defrauded his former employer of millions of dollars over a period of almost four years. As manager of financial planning and analysis, he had unrestricted access to the club's funds. He repeatedly overpaid himself and disguised the payments as travel, hotel and catering expenses.

No sentence has yet been handed down. In the United States, however, the "NFL crook" faces up to 30 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. However, the gambling addicted NFL employee is currently believed to be on the run after posting just $10,000 bail.

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