The Jacksonville Jaguars are reportedly trying to claw back $20 million worth of apparently stolen funds from sports betting giant FanDuel after an employee allegedly stole the money and used it to gamble on the site, ESPN reports.
Former Jaguars executive Amit Patel pled guilty to fraud charges in federal court in December after the Jaguars fired him in February 2023, according to ESPN.
Patel was the Jaguars’ sole overseer of the company’s virtual credit card program and used his position to fund a lavish lifestyle, according to ESPN.
Patel’s attorney refutes that claim, saying in a statement, “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,” ESPN reported.
“This individual was a former manager of financial planning and analysis who took advantage of his trusted position to covertly and intentionally commit significant fraudulent financial activity at the team’s expense for personal benefit,” the Jaguars said in a statement, according to ESPN. (RELATED: Former Employee Of Jacksonville Jaguars Allegedly Steals More Than $22 Million From Franchise)
While a source told ESPN the Jaguars and FanDuel are “in discussions” on what ESPN calls a “settlement,” the source told the outlet they believe a resolution is unlikely.
“The way they see it … we got this money fair and clear. It’s not our problem that we have to forfeit it back to you,” the source told ESPN.
“I would be gobsmacked if it happened,” they added.