Amit Patel, the former Jacksonville Jaguars employee who stole $22 million from the team to fund his daily fantasy sports addiction and lavish lifestyle, was sentenced Tuesday to 78 months in federal prison, a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office confirmed to LSR.
Patel was also ordered to pay back $21.1 million in daily fantasy sports restitution to the Jaguars. He was also ordered to attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings.
“This case exemplifies the FBI’s relentless effort to protect American companies and their customers. Amit Patel knowingly and wittingly created a deceptive scheme to fund a lavish lifestyle at his employer’s expense, and today’s sentencing is a warning to other scam artists: the FBI and our partners will continue to aggressively pursue corporate fraud investigations to protect consumers from bearing the costs associated with criminal activity,” Mark Dargis, acting/special agent in charge with FBI Jacksonville, said in a statement.
Daily fantasy sports fraud sentence
Patel pleaded guilty in December 2023 to wire fraud and engaging in an illegal monetary transaction.
He was facing a maximum of 30 years in prison. However, the prosecutor had sought seven years for Patel, while his attorney argued for one or less.
“I stand before you embarrassed, shamed, and disappointed by my actions,” Patel said during the hearing, according to ESPN. “I can never truly convey how sorry I am to everyone affected by my actions.”
Breakdown of Patel’s spending
Patel’s attorney, Alex King, had claimed that 99% of the $22 million was used to fund losses on DraftKings Sportsbook ($1.8 million) and FanDuel Sportsbook ($20 million) daily fantasy sports apps.
However, a subsequent federal court filing detailed $5 million worth of spending on a “life of luxury” that included a putter used by Tiger Woods and $78,000 worth of private charter flights.
Jaguars fired Patel amid DFS probe
Patel was suspended and subsequently fired by the Jaguars after meeting with NFL investigators as part of their probe.
“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 highs and lows of the NFL with him,” Megha Parekh, the Jaguars’ senior vice president and chief legal officer, said in a statement. “He betrayed us. We take no joy in his punishment. Make no mistake, Amit broke our hearts.”
