New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte has received a favorable outcome following allegations of underage gambling and computer fraud.
According to an ESPN report, the State of Louisiana dropped charges on Tuesday against the former LSU Tiger after he was arrested in January for illegally wagering during his time in Baton Rouge. Boutte was under investigation by the Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division but is no longer facing a penalty after being charged with a felony count of computer fraud and a misdemeanor count of gambling prohibited for persons under 21. Boutte, a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, played in six games for the Patriots last season recording two receptions and 19 yards despite his previous legal woes.
Investigation into Boutte
Louisiana State Police investigators found that Boutte allegedly used an alias to place nearly 9,000 sports bets between April 2022 and May 2023. Boutte, who was 20 years old during some of the alleged wagering, used a FanDuel account with a credit card registered to his mother. According to court documents, the account used Boutte’s full name in its user name with another FanDuel account being opened in Massachusetts in 2023.
The new account in Massachusetts was flagged by FanDuel, which recognized the discrepancy in Boutte’s age as he only turned 21 a month before it was created.
Boutte allegedly placed bets while on LSU’s campus. He also allegedly placed at least 15 wagers on college football games, including wagering on six contests involving the Tigers.
Despite the allegations and probe, Boutte was not punished by the NFL for his alleged role in underage gambling as its rules only prohibit wagering on league games and events. The NFL, which has faced gambling-related scrutiny, also bans wagering at team facilities.
Police initially claimed, Boutte continued to wager for a week after being drafted. The 22-year-old is entering Patriots training camp this month competing for a roster spot.
