Kash Patel became the first Indian-American director of the FBI after being confirmed by the Senate last month.

Patel was a part of President Donald Trump's first administration too, serving as a prosecutor in the Justice Department, a national security advisor, senior counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and as chief of staff to acting defense secretary Chris Miller. Patel began his career as a public defender.

Patel has a net worth of more than $5.9 million, according to a recent estimate by Business Insider. Patel has built his wealth from his consulting business, book royalties, speaking engagements, and more.

Here's how Patel made his millions.

Consulting

Patel earned more than $2.1 million from his national security, defense, and intelligence consulting business Trishul LLC, according to his 2024 financial disclosure filed to the Office of Government Ethics before his confirmation hearing. The business will be inactive during Patel's appointment as FBI Director, per the disclosure.

Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT), the parent company of Truth Social, is one of Trishul's clients, along with the Embassy of Qatar, and the Trump-founded leadership PAC, Save America. Patel was also on the Trump Media board, stepping down after his confirmation as FBI director.

Books, Speeches, and Media Appearances

Patel made thousands of dollars from book royalties and public appearances. He earned between $45,000 and $150,000 in royalties in 2024 for his children's books "The Plot Against the King", "The Plot Against the King 2000 Mules" and "The Plot Against the King 3: The Return of the King." His 2024 financial disclosure also showed between $100,000 to $1 million in royalties from the book "Government Gangsters."

Patel made a total of about $306,000 from media appearances and speaking engagements in 2024, including $99,000 as a contributor for The Epoch Times.

Investments

Patel's portfolio includes a stake in Cayman Islands-based fashion management company Elite Depot valued at between $1 million and $5 million, according to his disclosure forms.

He also owns Bitcoin ETFs valued between $50,000 and $100,000, Nvidia (NVDA) stock worth up to $250,000, Palantir (PLTR) stock worth up to $100,000, and up to $15,000 in streaming platform Rumble (RUM), among others.