Chiefs superfan 'ChiefsAholic' sentenced to 17.5 years in prison following string of bank robberies

Kansas City Chiefs superfan, Xavier Babudar (better known as "ChiefsAholic"), was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison in federal court on Thursday in relation to a string of bank robberies.

Babudar had previously pled guilty in February to three charges: one count each for money laundering, transporting stolen property across state lines and bank robbery in Oklahoma. He could've faced as much as a 50-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the three charges.

In April, an Oklahoma judged ordered that Babudar would have to pay $10.8 million to Payton Garcia, a former bank teller that Babudar threatened at gunpoint during a December 2022 bank robbery. Babudar owes $3.6 million for physically assaulting Garcia and another $7.2 million in punitive damages.

Babudar is also being forced to surrender a signed painting of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes that was recovered by the FBI. Garcia's attorney, Frank Frasier, wanted to make sure that Babudar would never be able to profit from stealing more than $800,000 and laundering through a string of casinos. He also stated that his client was forced to quit her job as a result of emotional trauma related to the robbery.

Babudar became famous by attending Chiefs games in a wolf costume. However, while he was an avid fan of the team, he spent time robbing banks when he wasn't attending Chiefs games. He was arrested in December 2022 for his crimes, but was released on bail in February 2023.

Prior to that, Babudar placed several bets in an attempt to launder the money. He placed a $5,000 bet on Mahomes to win Super Bowl MVP as well as the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl in 2023, which both came to fruition. As a result, the casino mailed him a check for $100,000 in March 2023.

After receiving the check, Babudar cut off his ankle monitor and skipped his arraignment hearing in Tulsa County in March. Once it was determined that Babudar was on the run, a $1 million bond warrant was issued.

Babudar ended up using his winnings from those bets to purchase a vehicle in Nevada, and he robbed two more banks before being arrested in Sacramento, Calif. in July 2023. Prior to his sentencing on Thursday, he was held without bail at Leavenworth federal prison in Kansas.