In a dramatic turn of events, Amit Patel, a former executive with the Jacksonville Jaguars, is facing new legal hurdles. Patel, who is already serving a 6.5-year sentence for wire fraud, has been hit with six additional charges of grand theft in Florida. These recent allegations stem from an embezzlement scheme involving over $22 million in funds siphoned from the Jaguars.
Despite his current imprisonment on federal charges tied to wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions, Patel’s legal troubles seem far from over. ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio points out a significant distinction: There’s no federal statute covering theft, meaning Patel’s new charges under state law could see him spending extra time behind bars for his alleged actions with the Jaguars.
Initially, Patel defended his actions by attributing them to a debilitating gambling addiction. However, this defense hasn’t held water. Not only did he misuse team credit cards for personal purchases, but Patel has also gone so far as to take legal action against prominent sportsbooks, including FanDuel. Patel claims these entities exploited his addiction with incentives aimed at exacerbating his financial ruin.
While the prospects of his lawsuit appear slim, even a victory in court wouldn’t translate into an immediate release from his current predicament. Instead, any monetary gain from such a legal outcome might simply be a financial cushion waiting for his eventual release date—though that remains a distant reality as things stand.
