the NFL It was rocked last week by reports that a Jacksonville Jaguars employee is accused of stealing millions of dollars from the team over a four-year period. Federal authorities also allege that the suspect used the funds to practice various high-stakes daily fantasy sports (DFS) Competitions.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Amit Patel, 31, with wire fraud and illegal cash transactions, alleging he used the franchise’s virtual credit card (VCC) A program to transfer more than $22 million to his private accounts.
Using the name “ParlayPicker,” Patel allegedly participated in high-dollar fantasy contests on FanDuel and DraftKings, according to espn.
Big money contests
Rotary mills I mentioned that “ParlayPicker” He bet nearly $500,000 on NFL, MLB, PGAAnd UFC Contests since 2017. A big part of that seems to be high-stakes three-player contests that often involve buy-ins of $24,000 or more.
Federal officials allege that in addition to his gambling habits, Patel used some of the money to live a lavish lifestyle. Some of his purchases, according to prosecutors, included a condo in Ponte Vedra Beach, a Tesla car, cryptocurrency, private jet charters, luxury hotel stays, a country club membership, and designer watches.
Alex King, Patel’s lawyer, denied the allegations, saying the money was taken exclusively for gambling.
“Mr. Patel did not use Jaguars VCC To fund his lifestyle, but in a very misguided attempt to repay his previous gambling losses he used Jaguars. VCC King said last week. He noted that “nearly 99% of the embezzled funds” were used for gambling.
According to court documents, the scheme continued from 2019 until February 2023, when the team fired Patel. During his time with Jaguar, Patel held several positions in the finance department that apparently allowed him access to… VCC program. He most recently worked with the team as Director of Financial Planning and Analysis.
Along with taking millions away from the team, Battle also violated the NFL’s gambling policy. The policy prohibits league employees from gambling on or participating in sports DFSalthough in this case being an employee did not help him win.
The league stressed that Patel He had no gambling advantage Based on his role with the team.
“The league’s review has not uncovered any evidence to suggest that any inside information was used or that any matches were hacked in any way.” NFL spokesman Alex Reithmiller said espn.
