The Jacksonville Jaguars sued their former employee, who stole $22 million from the team, for $66.6 million in damages in a Florida state court on Thursday.
Amit Patel, who oversaw the team's virtual credit card program, pleaded guilty in federal court in December to stealing more than $22 million from the team over a 3.5-year period to pay off gambling debts and finance a life of luxury. In Thursday's plea, the team said Patel stole the bulk of that money, $20 million, in just eight months.
In the lawsuit, the team alleges fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty and civil theft. The claims are based largely on Patel's admissions in federal court.
Patel's attorney Alex King did not immediately respond to ESPN's request for comment.
Editor's Favorites
2 relatives
According to Negin Kordbacheh, a Florida-based attorney specializing in business law, if the Jaguars prevail in court, the team would have more leeway to recover the stolen funds from Patel and would no longer be reliant on the federal government to act on its behalf. The team could seize assets that Patel acquired legally. In Florida, plaintiffs can sue for up to three times the actual damages.
“[A] “A civil lawsuit gives the victim control over the process,” Kordbacheh said. “There is also the possibility of asset recovery. You can garnish wages, confiscate assets, etc. These are obviously very important tools to ensure the victim receives full compensation.”
According to court documents, Patel wired $20 million of the funds to FanDuel, where he had a VIP host, and $1 million to DraftKings. ESPN previously reported that Patel was a high-volume, high-stakes daily fantasy sports player known for racking up large losses. Patel has said he suffers from a gambling addiction.
According to the filing, Patel's scheme was uncovered in February 2023 after he placed a sports bet in Kansas, violating both state law and NFL gambling policies.
He also transferred $5 million from his FanDuel and DraftKings accounts to his PayPal and other personal accounts, prosecutors said, and used the money to make a series of purchases to live a “life of luxury,” including buying Tiger Woods' 1996 putter and spending $78,800 to rent private jets.
As ESPN previously reported, the Jaguars have asked FanDuel to refund some or all of the $20 million. The Jaguars declined to comment on the status of those talks.
Patel is currently serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence at Williamsburg Federal Penitentiary in South Carolina.
According to Kordbacheh, the Jaguars have a high chance of success with their civil lawsuit against Patel because the burden of proof is lower than in a criminal case in which Patel has already pleaded guilty.
