The State of Louisiana dropped underage gambling and computer fraud charges against Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, his lawyer told ESPN.
Boutte was arrested in January in Baton Rouge, La., on a felony charge of computer fraud and one misdemeanor count of Gaming Prohibited for Persons under 21 while he played at LSU. Boutte was a standout at Patriots mandatory minicamp last month while competing for a roster spot in a crowded wide receiver room.
“We’re continuing to gather information on that. He’s still on the team,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said about Boutte’s legal situation in May. “Hopefully, we can continue to develop this player but also develop him as a man as well going forward. I think it’s important to remember 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 can help somebody out and I feel like we have a good player development group there that will definitely help us going forward.”
Officials said in January that Boutte used an alias account to circumvent the age requirement for placing sports wagers in Louisiana from April, 6, 2022, through May 7, 2023, the date of his 21st birthday. Boutte was accused of placing more than 8,900 wagers, including at least six on LSU while he played for the school’s football team. He allegedly created the alias account, username “kayshonboutte01,” under the fictitious identity “Kayla Fortenberry.”
Boutte’s activity was flagged after he allegedly created a second account, username “kayshonboutte07,” last June from Massachusetts. The second account used a Regions Bank Visa card, which belonged to his mother, that once funded the Fortenberry account, authorities said.
Boutte is joined by Kawaan Baker, Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton and rookies Javon Baker, JaQuae Jackson, Ja’Lynn Polk and David Wallis on the Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart. Bourne, Douglas, Osborn, Javon Baker, a fourth-round pick, and Polk, a second-round pick, are favorites to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster. That could leave just one spot for Boutte, Kawaan Baker, Reagor, Smith-Schuster, Thornton, Jackson and Wallis.
Boutte caught two passes for 19 yards last season as a rookie with the Patriots. The 2023 sixth-round pick could now avoid discipline from the NFL after having his charges dropped.
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