Ex-Jacksonville Jaguars Manager Calls $22M Theft “Illegal Borrowing”

Amit Patel, the former Jacksonville Jaguars finance manager who admitted to stealing more than $22 million from the National Football League professional American football team, says he never intended to keep the money. Instead, he claims he always planned to put it back, but his gambling losses interfered.

“We’ll Put It Back, and No One Will Ever Know”

Now 32, Patel spoke to CNN from FPC Montgomery, a low-security federal prison in Alabama, as part of the special “Sports Betting: America’s Big Gamble” on The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. 

During the interview, he described the way his gambling addiction clouded his judgment, making him think that he could replenish the stolen funds using online fantasy sports.

Patel said he planned to “illegally borrow money by using the Jaguars company credit card”, persuaded by a “little voice” in his head that told him, “Hey, just use the credit card. We’ll win some money. We’ll put it back, and no one will ever know.”

“Anyone Can Get Addicted”

However, federal prosecutors painted a completely different picture of what happened, claiming that Patel also used millions to bankroll a lifestyle of luxury, including chartering private jets, maintaining a country club membership, buying high-end watches, and expanding his expensive sports memorabilia collection.

He did it all, officials say, while stealing from the franchise he was working for, with estimates of at least $5 million going straight to personal expenses, on top of the millions that he had lost online.

Patel’s attorneys explained that their client had used to bulk of the money to feed his insatiable desire to wager, describing his struggles with addiction to gambling, alcohol, and drugs. They also made sure to emphasize the steps he has since taken to change, including sobriety, recovery meetings, and founding a Gamblers Anonymous group in Jacksonville Beach.

“I will say that not everyone will get addicted, but anyone can get addicted,” Patel reflected during the interview.

Patel Is Suing FanDuel for $250M 

While in prison, the man decided to file a $250 million lawsuit against FanDuel, claiming the company knowingly enabled his gambling addiction. In his complaint, Patel explains how he deposited up to $25,000 at a time, sometimes ten times a day, and received a whopping $1.1 million in gambling credits. 

The suit alleges that he was pursued by a personal VIP host who would contact him more than 100 times on the same day and shower him with exclusive trips to events such as the Super Bowl and the Masters.

FanDuel declined to discuss the specifics of the case, telling CNN only that it “operates in strict accordance with established state laws in support of problem gambling prevention.”Meanwhile, Patel is facing six state grand theft charges in Florida, each with a potential sentence of up to three decades. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 16 in Duval County.