Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte arrested on fraud and gambling charges

New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte has been arrested on charges related to illegal online gaming while he was at LSU, Louisiana State Police have announced.

Boutte, 21, created a fraudulent online account, using an alias, police said in a news release, which detailed the volume of bets placed from that account.

"Between April 6, 2022, and May 7, 2023, the alias account believed to be used by Boutte placed over 8,900 wagers," police said. "Of the 8,900 wagers, at least seventeen were on National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football games, with at least six of those wagers on LSU football."

Boutte turned himself in on a felony charge of computer fraud and a misdemeanour count of gaming prohibited for persons under 21. He was booked at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison

TV station and then immediately released after posting a $6,000 bond, per a report from television station WAFB. The report said the wagers and pay-outs of the bets reached "several hundred thousand dollars."

LSU issued a statement on the matter Thursday.

"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. 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."

A source told WAFB that Boutte never bet "against himself" or his actions in LSU games.

Boutte played for three seasons at LSU from 2020-22, catching 131 passes for 1,782 yards and 16 touchdowns in 27 games.

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