Student in Louisiana arrested over illegal gambling, threats

• Louisiana State Police initiated an investigation after a complaint alleged a Baton Rouge man acted as a "bookie" and threatened customers who couldn’t pay
• Police identified a 23-year-old Baton Rouge man as a primary suspect, who was recently arrested
• The student is facing a number of charges, including those for unlawful gambling, extortion and harassment

One student, who allegedly acted as a bookmaker and then threatened customers who failed to pay their debts, is in hot water.

The criminal case in question involves a 23-year-old Louisiana State University (LSU) student who was recently arrested and charged over his alleged involvement in an illegal gambling operation.

Illegal bookie threatens bettors

As announced by the media outlet, The Advocate, the 23-year-old was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of operating as an illegal bookmaker.

In mid-January, the Louisiana State Police’s Gaming Enforcement Division received a complaint about an illegal gambling operation.

The person who submitted the tip said in a police interview that he met with an individual who called himself "Contente" and acted as a "bookie."

Contente, translated from Portuguese, means happy, pleased, satisfied; it is unclear why the suspect chose such an alias.

Through Contente, the person who filed the complaint placed a range of bets, including via text messages. Consequently, he arranged payments via Venmo and CashApp.

In December, the victim placed a bet he couldn’t pay back right away and asked the bookmaker to pay at a later period, and Contente agreed.

However, by the end of the same month, the person who filed the complaint started receiving threatening text messages and phone calls; the victim’s friends and family were also subjected to such communication and an alias was used by the person who made the threats.

Investigation finds significant number of transactions, suspect faces charges

Once police were involved, an investigation was initiated and the primary suspect was identified.

Investigators examined the 23-year-old’s Venmo account and uncovered a significant number of transactions.

Per that investigation, between February 25, 2025, and April 15, 2026, the suspect’s bank statement showed more than $167,000 in debit transactions and $147,000+ in credit transactions, all primarily from the Baton Rouge area.

The suspect’s CashApp transaction history also recorded approximately 100 transactions, evidence that suggests illegal gambling.

Consequently, law enforcement arrested the 23-year-old LSU student last week.

The Baton Rouge man faces charges of unlawful telephone communications, unlawful betting, harassment, cyberstalking, gambling and extortion.

If found guilty on all charges, the suspect may face multiple years in prison, thousands of dollars in fines, as well as forfeiture of gambling proceeds, probation and other court-imposed restrictions.

Out of all the charges, extortion is the most serious one, considering that it is recognized as a felony offense and may be punished with years in prison.

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