Amit Patel, a 31-year-old resident of Jacksonville, has been sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Henry L. Adams for wire fraud and engaging in an illegal monetary transaction. Patel was also ordered to forfeit $22,221,454.40, the proceeds of the wire fraud, and make full restitution to the Jacksonville Jaguars, his former employer and victim of his offense. Patel pleaded guilty on December 14, 2023.
Court documents reveal that Patel operated a fraud scheme, embezzling approximately $22,221,454 from the Jaguars by misusing his role as the administrator for the team’s virtual credit card (VCC) program. He made numerous purchases and transactions with no legitimate business purpose and created falsified accounting files to conceal his actions. These files were then sent to the Jaguars’ accounting department. Patel used various methods to hide his illicit transactions, including duplicating legitimate transactions, inflating amounts, and inventing fictitious transactions.
The fraudulent activity began in September 2019 and continued until Patel’s termination by the Jaguars in February 2023. He used the stolen funds for personal expenses, including gambling, purchasing property, luxury travel, vehicles, cryptocurrency, electronics, and more. None of this income was reported on his tax returns.
Mark Dargis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division, emphasized the FBI’s commitment to protecting companies and consumers from such schemes, warning potential fraudsters of aggressive pursuit by law enforcement. Lani Rosado-Espinal, IRS-CI Acting Special Agent in Charge, highlighted the collaboration between law enforcement agencies to unravel complex fraud and money laundering schemes.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.
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