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Michael DiRocco, ESPN writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Amit Patel, the former Jacksonville Jaguars employee who pleaded guilty to stealing $22 million from the team, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison on Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Henry Lee Adams Jr. also ordered Patel, 31, to pay the Jaguars $21.1 million in restitution and attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings.
“I stand before you ashamed, embarrassed and disappointed by my actions,” Patel said during the hearing. He told the court that he had been sober for almost a year and that he was seeking help for his gambling addiction. “I will never be able to express how sorry I am to everyone affected by my actions.”
Megha Parekh, senior vice president and chief legal officer for the Jaguars, read a statement on behalf of the team, which previously said Patel did not have access to football information and that no other team employees were involved in Patel’s activity.
“We gave him his dream job. We trusted him. We worked with him. We broke bread with him. We went through a pandemic and the ups and downs of the NFL with him,” Parekh said. “He betrayed us.
“We are not happy about his punishment. Make no mistake, Amit broke our hearts.”
Federal prosecutors had recommended a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and illegal monetary transaction, while Patel’s attorney, Alex King, had asked for sentences ranging from probation to a year in prison in court papers last week.
“We are pleased with today’s results and remain committed to investigating those who would attempt to defraud the public and our business community,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Coolican.
Patel admitted to stealing $22,221,454.40 from the Jaguars during three and a half years as supervisor of the team’s virtual credit card program. According to court documents, Patel transferred approximately $20 million to FanDuel and $1 million to DraftKings, and used the rest of the stolen money on various other expenses, including nearly $600,000 at Apple and more than $40,000 at Amazon and Best Buy combined. .
He also transferred $5 million from his FanDuel and DraftKings accounts to his PayPal and other personal accounts, prosecutors said, and used them on a variety of purchases to live a “life of luxury,” including buying Tiger Woods’ putter from 1996 and spend $78,800 renting private planes.
King said in a December press release that Patel’s behavior was fueled by gambling addiction and that “99% of the embezzled funds” were used to offset gambling losses. ESPN previously reported that Patel was a high-volume, high-risk daily fantasy sports player known for racking up big losses. Patel was diagnosed with a gambling disorder in March 2023, a month after the Jaguars fired him, and he has been receiving treatment and participating in Gamblers Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, according to a memo filed by King.
King’s filing also says Patel began gambling online in high school and used his mother’s credit card to play at casinos and poker rooms while he was in college. He added that while working at Deloitte in 2017, Patel used a company American Express card to incur gambling debts, but repaid the money with the help of his older brother before he was caught taking out a debt consolidation loan from $16,000.
The NFL’s betting policy prohibits club and league employees from betting on any sport and participating in daily fantasy sports.