A 44-year-old former employee of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been charged with embezzlement for allegedly stealing over $22 million from the NFL team to fund his luxurious lifestyle.
Reginald Thomas Bivins, a former employee of the Jaguars, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft on Tuesday afternoon in an indictment.
According to the indictment, from 2017 to 2021, Bivins allegedly fraudulently transferred $22 million from the bank account of the Jacksonville Jaguars, an NFL team. He then allegedly used the stolen money to purchase items such as luxury cars, jewelry, and other luxury items for himself as well as others.
Bivins was a part of the Jacksonville Jaguars finance team and was responsible for managing the team’s bank accounts. The indictment alleges that Bivins used this access to transfer funds from the team’s bank accounts without authorization. He was also accused of using stolen personal information to create fraudulent accounts to hide his activities.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida stated that Bivins is now facing a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud and a mandatory two-year prison sentence for the aggravated identity theft conviction, if convicted.
The Jaguars organization stated that they are cooperating with federal authorities during the investigation, and the franchise released a statement regarding the charges. “The actions of this individual are unacceptable and have no place in our organization. We have taken measures to ensure that there is no chance of a similar incident occurring,” said the statement.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the U. S. Secret Service.
