Jacksonville Jaguars seeking $66M from former employee Amit Patel, who stole millions from the team

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars are suing a former employee who stole millions from the team.

The team is seeking $66 million from Amit Patel, who was sentenced to more than six years in federal prison in March. He pleaded guilty in December.

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Patel oversaw the Jaguars’ virtual credit card program and took advantage for personal gain. Prosecutors said he put money into everything from sports betting websites, trips around the world with private jets, to golf memorabilia.

Patel stole $22 million from the team, according to investigators. A federal judge ordered Patel to pay back more than $21 million to the team.

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According to the lawsuit, the Jaguars want $66 million in “treble damages,” which, according to Cornell Law School, is “the court is required to award the plaintiff three times the amount of actual damages determined by the jury.”

The Jaguars said in the lawsuit the team has recovered $261,232.36 from the sale of a condo “purchased by Patel with Jaguars’ funds.”

Aside from this, “Patel has failed to repay any of the amounts he stole from the Jaguars,” the lawsuit said.

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The team sent Patel “a written demand for the repayment” of $66 million on June 17.

“More than 30 days have passed since service of that written demand and, to date, Patel has not complied with the Jaguars’ demand,” the suit said.

ESPN, which first reported the lawsuit, spoke with Negin Kordbacheh, an attorney who practices business law in Florida. Kordbecheh told ESPN if the Jaguars are successful with the lawsuit, it will allow the team more flexibility to recover the stolen money from Patel without relying on the federal government to act on its behalf.

PHOTOS: Government exhibits show how former Jaguars employee who stole $22M spent it

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Private jets and Ponte Vedra Inn and Club: How former Jaguars employee who stole $22M spent it The government released exhibits showing trips that Amit Patel took and items that he bid on. Patel pleaded guilty in December to stealing $22 million from his former employer, the Jacksonville Jaguars. (United States' Sentencing Memorandum)

According to Federal Bureau of Prisons information, Patel is in custody at FCI Williamsburg in Salters, South Carolina. His release date is set for Nov. 23, 2029. Afterward, he will also serve a three-year term of supervised release.

Read the lawsuit filed by the team against Patel below:

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