A former employee of the Jacksonville Jaguars has reportedly been charged with stealing over $22 million dollars from the NFL team in order to buy luxury items, including vehicles, electronics, clothing and more.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrested 38 year old Parkim Sawhney on January 18th and charged him with grand larceny. The arrest took place after the team discovered the money was missing following investigation into financial discrepancies.
According to the police, Sawhney was a controller at the Jaguars in charge of accounting or finance when the stealing occurred. Over a period of four years, he allegedly took the money and used it to buy luxury items such as cars, jewelry and clothes.
Sawhney was reportedly able to conceal the thefts by using a complicated system of dummy accounts and invoices to write off the transactions. He then allegedly concealed the accounts by funneling the money through multiple companies and accounts.
The team reportedly became suspicious after they noticed a significant decrease in their financial records. They then hired a third-party firm to conduct an audit, which ultimately revealed the extent of the theft.
Sawhney is currently being held without bail and is facing felony counts of larceny and grand larceny. If convicted, he could face decades in prison.
The Jaguars organization has since issued a statement, noting their commitment to protecting their finances and those of their fans. They also expressed sadness and disappointment about the situation, and stressed the importance of always being vigilant when it comes to financial security.
This case is a reminder to us all that protecting finances and records is necessary, especially when there is potentially large sums of money at stake. Organizations must make sure that their financial transactions are overseen and kept secure.
