Kayshon Boutte, a wide receiver for the New England Patriots, was placed under arrest Thursday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, over alleged sports gambling while he was playing at LSU, according to ESPN.
Louisiana State Police charged the 21-year-old Boutte with one felony count of computer fraud and a misdemeanor count of gambling prohibited for persons under 21. Police said additional charges are possible, pending an ongoing investigation, according to ESPN.
Investigators assigned to the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division reportedly found that Boutte — then 20 years old — had allegedly illegally gambled on sports from April 6 to May 7, 2022. To get around the age requirement, the current Patriot allegedly used an alias so he could place bets in Louisiana, per the outlet.
An alias account believed to be allegedly used by the former LSU star had placed over 8,900 bets, with at least 70 of them being placed on college football games — at least six were Tigers games, according to authorities, per ESPN.
Here’s video of #Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte leaving jail on Thursday following his arrest on charges of illegal gambling.
(🎥: @WAFB) pic.twitter.com/9QTtuxfoQg
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) January 25, 2024
“In July 2023, LSU was made aware of allegations regarding a former student-athlete’s improper conduct related to sports gambling while enrolled at the University,” LSU said in a Thursday statement, per ESPN. “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.” (RELATED: And The Finalists For NFL MVP (And All The Other Awards) Are…)
The NFL has not commented on Boutte’s arrest.