Former jacksonville jaguars An employee serving time in prison for stealing more than $22 million from an NFL franchise is suing a sports betting company, claiming he fell prey to a gambling addiction.
Amit Patel, 31, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison earlier this year after being convicted of stealing millions of dollars from the Jaguars from 2019 to 2023 through the team’s virtual credit card program. It was announced.
Jacksonville Jaguars helmets line the sideline before a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins at Everbank Stadium on August 26, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
Prosecutors claim Patel used stolen money to raise funds luxury lifestyle This included buying real estate and chartering a private jet, but most of the money was spent on online sports gambling.
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At sentencing, Patel admitted to having a gambling problem.
On Tuesday, former employees filed a $250 million lawsuit against FanDuel, accusing the company of ignoring responsible gambling and anti-money laundering protocols and not knowing that Patel was a FanDuel employee. he claimed. NFL And the money was not legally obtained.
“While the complaint certainly does not allege that addicted gamblers are not at fault, the lawsuit does suggest that FanDuel was very aggressive in his gambling addiction,” Matthew Litt, Patel’s attorney, told the AP. “We’re trying to allocate responsibility in a way that accounts for our involvement in this.”
The Jacksonville Jaguars logo is displayed on the field before the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers at TIAA Bank Field on January 14, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
Former Jaguars employee sentenced to more than six years in prison for $22 million embezzlement scheme
The complaint alleges that Patel transferred $20 million to his FanDuel account and was given more than $1.1 million in credits by the gambling company, in addition to travel to major sporting events. The complaint also alleges that individual hosts contacted him up to 100 times a day.
The complaint states, “Defendants actively and intentionally targeted Plaintiff and preyed on incentives, trust, and gifts to create, nurture, promote, and exacerbate Plaintiff’s addiction, ultimately leading to rock bottom. “The only possible outcome was to fall into it.” ESPN.
In this photo illustration, the FanDuel logo is displayed on a smartphone. (Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket, Getty Images)
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The Jaguars fired Patel in early 2023, but he is accused of continuing to use stolen money after he was fired. He pleaded guilty in December to felony charges of wire fraud and illegal financial transactions.
FanDuel did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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