The state of Louisiana has dropped the underage gambling and computer fraud charges against Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte.
The 22-year-old Boutte, a sixth-round draft pick in 2023, was booked in January into East Baton Rouge Parish jail on multiple charges involving underage sports wagers with an online gambling company.
On Tuesday, Tracey Ewing Barbera of the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office released the following statement regarding the decision, explaining the reasons why a felony prosecution of Boutte would not be “appropriate.”
“The Louisiana State Police Gaming Enforcement Division did an outstanding job investigating this matter,” Barbera said. “While there is undisputed evidence that Kayshon Boutte was under the age of 21 when he made these sports wagers, we have confirmed that no one suffered any financial loss as a result of his conduct. We have also confirmed that he did not financially benefit from his actions as an LSU football player; he did not bet against himself or his team.
“Kayshon Boutte has completed a gambling awareness program and executed self-ban agreements in Massachusetts as well as with FanDuel and BET99. In light of his mitigatory actions, we do not believe a felony prosecution is appropriate.
“Effective August 1st, proposition bets in the State of Louisiana will be suspended from the Official Sports Betting Catalog. Additionally, Act 284 of the 2024 Louisiana Legislature’s Regular Session enacted a statute (La.R.S. 14:90.8) criminalizing sports wagering by a prohibited player.”
Boutte did not comment, but attorney Steven Moore did on behalf of his client.
“Kayshon acknowledges what he did was not right, and he looks forward to being a valuable member of the Patriots in 2024,” Moore said.
An NFL spokesman said the situation remains “under review,” and that Boutte “may continue to participate in all team activities.” A Patriots spokesman said they had no comment.
Boutte was facing one count of computer fraud (a felony) and one count of gaming prohibited for persons under 21 (a misdemeanor) as a result of actions that allegedly took place when he played at LSU.
According to police, investigators from the gaming enforcement division discovered Boutte used an alias to participate in sports gambling from April 6, 2022, until May 7, 2023. During that time, police said Boutte placed more than 8,900 wagers, including 17 on NCAA football games and six on LSU. According to court documents, he bet a total of $450,000, losing $65,000, in 2022. He bet $186,000, losing $16,000, in 2023.
Boutte was a participant throughout the Patriots’ voluntary offseason program and mandatory minicamp. Coach Jerod Mayo addressed Boutte’s situation in May.
“We’re continuing to gather information on that,” Mayo said. “He’s still on the team, and hopefully, we can continue to develop this player, but really develop him as a man as well going forward.
“I think it’s important to remember, like some of these guys are very young and they’ve made mistakes in the past. It’s easy to just throw them away. But there are certain instances where you’re like, ‘All right, I can help this guy out.’ I feel like we have a good player development group there that will definitely help us out moving forward.”
Even with his legal issues behind him, the 5-foot-11-inch, 197-pound Boutte, who caught just two passes for 19 yards in five games last season, remains a long shot to make the 53-man roster. The Patriots have a glut of receivers, and Boutte, who brings little special teams’ value, figures to be competing against the likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jalen Reagor, and Tyquan Thornton for a spot.
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.