Ex-Jaguars employee sentenced to more than 6 years in prison for $22 million embezzlement scheme

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Former Jacksonville Jaguars employee Amit Patel was sentenced Tuesday to more than six years in federal prison after he pleaded guilty in December to stealing more than $22 million from his former employer. 

Patel, 31, was sentenced to 6½ years by U.S. District Judge Henry L. Adams for stealing from the Jaguars through the team's virtual credit card program from September 2019 until February 2023, according to a press release. 

Jacksonville Jaguars helmets before a press conference introducing Doug Pederson as the new head coach at TIAA Bank Stadium Feb. 5, 2022, in Jacksonville, Fla.   (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

"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 of the FBI Jacksonville Division, said in a statement. 

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Prosecutors say Patel used the stolen money to fund a lavish lifestyle that included online gambling, chartering private jets and the purchase of a private condominium in Ponte Vedra Beach, sports memorabilia, cars, spa treatments and other personal purchases. 

Patel spent $5 million on a "life of luxury" that included purchases like a 1996 Tiger Woods’ putter, nearly $600,000 at Apple and more than $40,000 at Amazon and Best Buy combined, ESPN reported, citing court documents.

He spent most of the money on online sports