Former LSU and current New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte has been arrested and charged with computer fraud and gaming prohibited for persons under 21, Louisiana State Police announced Thursday. He was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish jail and after posting a $600,000 bond, Boutte was released, according to court documents.
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According to police, Boutte, who was 20 at the time, participated in sports gambling from April 6, 2022, until May 7, 2023. During this period, police allege Boutte used an alias to circumvent the legal age required for placing sports wagers in Louisiana. The police said an online gambling company contacted them regarding sports wagers made by a prohibited person.
Boutte played at LSU from 2020 to 2022 and some of the wagers he allegedly made occurred while he was a player at the university.
The alias account believed to be used by Boutte placed more than 8,900 wagers. Of those wagers, at least 17 were on college football games, with at least six of those on LSU football.
The affidavit for Boutte’s arrest warrant — a copy of which was obtained by The Athletic — said FanDuel contacted the Louisiana State Police’s gaming division about the possibility of a college athlete placing sports wagers. Police launched an investigation and found that Boutte opened a FanDuel account in Massachusetts on June 7, 2023, and the bank card attached to the account was under the name Tanisha Boutte, his mother. Boutte chose the username “kayshonboutte7” for the account, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit said police later discovered a second account linked to Boutte under the name Kayla Fortenberry opened on April 5, 2022. That account was also funded by his mother’s bank card, and the account’s username was “kayshonboutte01,” per the report.
Boutte allegedly placed a wager on a Sept. 4, 2022, game between LSU and Florida State, betting he would score at least one touchdown in the game and placed another bet that he would have over 82.5 receiving yards. Both wagers were part of an eight-leg parley wager, the affidavit said.
Boutte only recorded 20 receiving yards and no touchdowns in Florida State’s 24-23 win that day.
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According to the affidavit, Boutte bet $450,000 in 2022 and lost $65,000 that year. In 2023, he bet $186,000 and lost $16,000.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be forthcoming.
LSU said in a statement that it was made aware of allegations in July 2023 “regarding a former student-athlete’s improper conduct related to sports gambling while enrolled at the University.”
“Since then, we have fully cooperated with all relevant authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so,” LSU said. “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 Patriots also released a statement, saying they are aware that Boutte is cooperating with the police regarding the investigation.
Boutte, one of the most dynamic pass catchers in his class, logged 131 receptions for 1,782 yards and 16 touchdowns in his collegiate career. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Boutte as the No. 39 prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft when Boutte declared for the draft in late December 2022.
The Patriots drafted Boutte in the sixth round and he caught two passes for 19 yards in five games during his rookie season.
(Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)