Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte charged in illegal sports gaming scheme
BATON ROUGE, La. — New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was arrested Thursday on charges related to illegal online gaming while he was under age and played at Louisiana State University, authorities said.
Boutte is accused of creating an online betting account under a fake name and then placing more than 8,900 illegal bets. State police said in a news release that at least 17 of the bets were on NCAA football games. Six were wagers on LSU football, according to a state police news release.
Baton Rouge news outlets reported that an arrest affidavit alleges that two bets are believed to have been placed on an LSU game that Boutte played in. Bets were made while he was still under the age of 21 and not legally allowed to gamble, according to Louisiana State Police.
Investigators said the efforts led to more than $500,000 in winnings, with most of that money being used to place additional bets.
Boutte, who is now 21, is currently listed on the Patriots’ roster. He played in five games last season.
Boutte surrendered to authorities Thursday on a felony charge of computer fraud and a misdemeanor count of Gaming Prohibited for Persons under 21. He was released from the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison after posting a $6,000 bond. Jail records did not indicate whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Computer fraud is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and a prison term of five years or less. Illegal gambling carries maximum penalties of a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.
News outlets reported, based on arrest documents, that FanDuel Sportsbook contacted Louisiana State Police last July saying “a prohibited person, a collegiate athlete, possibly made several sports wagers.”
Boutte allegedly created the name of a fictitious female, Kayla Fortenberry, to create the online gaming account and used his own mother’s credit card to fund the account, the warrant says. Seventeen wagers were made on NCAA football, which included wagers on LSU football between Aug. 28, 2022, and Oct. 9, 2023, the warrant states.
Six of the wagers were on LSU football, including one game — LSU versus Florida State — where he bet on himself, investigators allege. That particular game, held Sept. 4, 2022, Boutte allegedly placed one bet that he would personally score at least one touchdown and another that he would have over 82.5 receiving yards. He had two catches for 20 yards and no touchdowns in that game.
According to the warrant, during 2022 and 2023:
- Boutte deposited a total of $132,147.53 into the account
- Boutte won a total of $556,267.58, but used most of that money to make additional bets
- Boutte withdrew $50,282.36 from the account
A native of New Iberia and a graduate of Westgate High School, he spent three years with LSU as a wide receiver, appearing in 27 games with 21 starts.
In a statement, LSU said it was made aware of the allegations last July.
“Since then, we have fully cooperated with all relevant authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so. We have no evidence that any other student-athletes participated in these prohibited activities, and we are grateful for measures that detect and discourage sports gambling related misconduct,” the university said.
In a statement, the Patriots said the team knows Boutte is cooperating with the investigation but would have no further comment.
Copyright The Associated Press 2024
