The NFL was rocked final week by studies that an worker with the Jacksonville Jaguars is accused of stealing tens of millions of {dollars} from the workforce over a four-year interval. Federal authorities additionally allege that the suspect used the funds to play quite a few high-stakes every day fantasy sports activities (DFS) contests.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged Amit Patel, 31, with wire fraud and unlawful financial transaction, alleging that he used the franchise’s digital bank card (VCC) program to maneuver greater than $22 million into his personal accounts.
Using the title “ParlayPicker,” Patel is alleged to have been concerned in high-dollar fantasy contests on FanDuel and DraftKings, in response to ESPN.
Big-Money Contests
Rotogrinders reported that “ParlayPicker” wagered almost $500,000 on NFL, MLB, PGA, and UFC contests since 2017. A giant chunk of that seems to be in high-stakes three-player contests that usually featured buy-ins of $24,000 or extra.
Federal officers allege that past his playing habits, Patel used a number of the funds to dwell a luxurious life-style. Some of his purchases, in response to prosecutors, included a condominium in Ponte Vedra Beach, a Tesla, cryptocurrency, chartering personal jets, luxurious lodge stays, a rustic membership membership, and designer watches.
Patel’s lawyer Alex King has disputed these allegations, saying the cash was taken strictly for playing.
“Mr. Patel did not use the Jaguars’ VCC to fund his lifestyle, but in a horribly misguided effort to pay back previous gambling losses that utilized the Jaguars’ VCC program,” King stated final week. He famous that “roughly 99% of the misappropriated funds” had been used for playing.
According to court docket paperwork, the scheme continued from 2019 till February 2023, when the workforce fired Patel. During his time with the Jaguars, Patel held a number of positions within the finance division that apparently allowed entry to the VCC program. He had most not too long ago labored for the workforce as a supervisor of economic planning and evaluation.
Along with siphoning tens of millions away from the workforce, Patel can be in violation of the NFL’s playing coverage. The coverage prohibits league workers from playing on sports activities or collaborating in DFS, though on this case, being an worker didn’t precisely assist him win.
The league has pressured that Patel did not have a gambling advantage primarily based on his position with the workforce.
“A league review uncovered no evidence indicating any inside information was used or that any game was compromised in any way,” NFL spokesperson Alex Riethmiller instructed ESPN.
