A former employee of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been accused of stealing over $22M from the team. Amit Patel was charged with wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions. The charges state that Patel, who worked in the Jags' finance department, manipulated the team's virtual credit card system to fund "lavish personal purchases". Purchases include a luxury condo, a Tesla, cryptocurrency, private jet charters, and luxury watches.
"We can confirm that in February 2023, the team terminated the employment of the individual named in the filing. Over the past several months we have cooperated fully with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida during their investigation and thank them for their efforts in this case. As was made clear in the charges, 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. This individual had no access to confidential football strategy, personnel, or other football information," the team said in a statement.
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Former Jaguar Sergio Brown Pleads Not Guilty To Murder Charge
Meanwhile, another ex-Jag is facing a legal battle of his own. Sergio Brown, who played for the Jags in 2015, has entered a not-guilty plea on the charge of murdering his mother, Myrtle. Brown reportedly entered his plea on Wednesday while remanded in custody at a jail in Illinois. He will be due back in court later this month. Brown and his mother were reported missing in September, only for his mother's body to be discovered beside a creek near their Illinois home. Brown remained missing for a few days until he began posting concerning videos from Mexico. He was eventually detained in Mexico and extradited to the United States.
Brown was a starting safety for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish but went undrafted in 2010. However, he was later signed by the Patriots and would play nearly 100 games over the next seven seasons, although he would only ever start 15 games. He retired in 2016 following a brief stint with the Bills. Finishing his career with 144 tackles, Brown also played for the Colts and Jags. His time with the Bills came after a training camp with the Falcons.
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