Amit Patel, the former Jacksonville Jaguars employee who funneled $22 million stolen from the team mostly to FanDuel and DraftKings, spent $5 million on “luxurious living,” including Tiger Woods’ 1996 putter and $78,800 for private jets, federal prosecutors said. Appearances in court Thursday.
Patel also spent $275,000 to retain his attorney, Alex King, according to the filing.Prosecutors in the filing denied King’s claim that his client’s behavior was fueled by gambling addiction and that “99% of embezzled funds” used to repay gambling losses. Instead, officials say the $5 million went to his personal expenses.Patel continued to use the stolen funds even after the Jaguars fired him in February 2023, including paying an annual fee to his country club.
He also bought a game-used Trevor Lawrence jersey on eBay for $2,200 on Dec. 8, three days after prosecutors charged him and six days before he pleaded guilty.Prosecutors also included photos of Patel at the Formula One 1 Miami Grand Prix 2022. . in May from the Jaguars’ 2022 October game in London, the team’s January 2023 game in Kansas City and the 2023 Pegasus World Series, a high-rent horse race in Florida.
According to the documents, Patel transferred approximately $20 million to FanDuel and 1 million to DraftKings, which ESPN previously reported, and spent 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 handed over 5 million USD from his FanDuel. and DraftKings accounts to PayPal and other personal accounts, the statement said, and was used for multiple purchases..
