Jaguars scandal: Indian-American swindles $22 millions for a lavish life

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NEW YORK, Dec 7: A former employee of the Jacksonville Jaguars is facing allegations of embezzling more than $22 million from the football team to support his extravagant lifestyle. Amit Patel, of Indian origin, reportedly utilized his position as the manager of financial planning and analysis to manipulate the team’s virtual credit card program.

The virtual credit card (VCC) program, designed for legitimate business purchases by Jaguars employees, became the tool for Patel’s fraudulent activities. Court records and a statement from the team reveal that Patel engaged in wire fraud by manually manipulating the system. He created fake transactions, duplicated legitimate ones, and inflated the amounts of authentic recurring transactions, diverting $22 million from the team’s funds.

The New York Post reported that Patel’s scheme involved various activities such as purchasing a condominium in Florida, chartering private jets, organizing luxury trips for friends, investing in cryptocurrency, and participating in online gambling.

In response to the allegations, the Jacksonville Jaguars released a statement emphasizing that Patel, as a former manager of financial planning and analysis, abused his position for personal gain. The team clarified that Patel had no access to confidential football-related information and that no other employees were involved or aware of the fraudulent activities.

Between 2019 and the current year, Patel allegedly misappropriated the substantial sum of $22 million. The team terminated Patel’s employment in February 2023. The accused individual is said to have utilized the embezzled funds for various personal expenses, including online gambling, real estate acquisition, private travel, luxury vehicles, legal retainer, cryptocurrency investments, non-fungible tokens, electronics, sports memorabilia, country club membership, spa treatments, concert and sporting event tickets, home furnishings, and luxury watches.

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