BATON ROUGE, La. – New England Patriots wide receiver Keyshawn Booth was arrested Thursday at Louisiana State University on charges of illegal online gambling as a minor, authorities said.
Butte was accused of opening online gambling accounts under false names and placing more than 8,900 illegal bets. At least 17 bets were placed on NCAA football games, state police said in a news release.
According to a state police news release, six bets were placed on LSU football. Baton Rouge news stations reported in an arrest affidavit that two bets were placed on the LSU game in Butte. The bet was made when he was under 21 and could not legally play in Louisiana. State Police.
Investigators said the effort generated more than $500,000 in revenue, much of which was used to place additional bets.Booth, now 21, is currently on the Patriots’ roster. Played in five games last season.Booth turned himself in to authorities Thursday on charges of computer fraud and gambling on persons under 21.
He was released from East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on $6,000 bond. Jail records did not indicate whether he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Computer fraud is punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and up to five years in prison. Illegal gambling is punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to six months in prison.
According to news arrest documents, FanDuel Sportsbook contacted Louisiana State Police last July to report that “several sports bets may have been placed by a college athlete who is a prohibited person.
“Butte created an online gaming account using the name of a fictitious woman named Kayla Fortenberry and used her mother’s credit card to fund the account, the warrant states. Between August 1, 2014, 17 NCAA football bets have been placed, including one LSU football bet. October 28, 2022 and October 9, 2023, according to the order. Six bets were placed on LSU football, including the LSU vs. Florida State.
He bet on himself, investigators said. This contest took place on September 1. On August 4, 2022, one punt has Butte scoring at least once and the other has 82.5 receiving yards. He had two catches for 20 yards and no touchdowns in the game. According to the order, in 2022 and 2023:Butte transferred a total of $132,147.53 into the account.Butte won a total of $556,267.58, but spent the most money on extra bets.Butte withdrew $50,282.36 from the account.He is a native of New Iberia and a graduate of Westgate High School.
He spent three years as a wide receiver at LSU, appearing in 27 games with 21 starts. LSU said in a statement that it was informed of the allegations in July. “We are cooperating fully with all authorities involved in the investigation and will continue to do so,” he said.
We have no evidence that other student-athletes have engaged in these prohibited activities and appreciate the actions taken to define and prevent the sport. gambling offences,” the university said. The Patriots said in a statement that Booth is cooperating with the investigation, but would not comment further.
