KANSAS CITY, Mo. (TCN) -- A famous Kansas City Chiefs fan known as "ChiefsAholic" will spend over 17 years in federal prison for engaging in a string of 11 armed robberies or attempted robberies in which he stole $847,725 from financial institutions across seven states.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri announced Sept. 5 that a judge sentenced 30-year-old Xaviar Babudar to 17 years and six months without parole after he pleaded guilty in February to one count of money laundering, one count of transporting stolen property across state lines, and one count of bank robbery in a separate case filed in the Northern District of Oklahoma. Babudar will also have to pay $532,675 in restitution to the victim financial institutions. Federal prosecutors noted that while some of the stolen money was recovered, most of it was not.
Babudar reportedly lived a "nomadic existence" throughout the Kansas City area and attended many Kansas City Chiefs games wearing a wolf costume in Chiefs clothing. The U.S. Attorney’s office said he even had the username @ChiefsAholic on social media and became well known for the persona.
As part of his plea, Babudar pleaded guilty to a string of robberies that began in 2022, including $70,000 stolen from a Great Western Bank in Clive, Iowa, in March. He reportedly entered the bank in a ski mask and demanded money while indicating he had a firearm. Babudar fled and left behind a black glove and over $1,400 in $20 bills. His DNA was later recovered from the glove.
According to federal prosecutors, Babudar took the money to Missouri and deposited the funds into his personal savings account in two separate transactions to hide his crimes.
Similarly, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Babudar stole over $139,000 from Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union in Oklahoma on Dec. 16, 2022. He reportedly entered the credit union with what "appeared to be a black handgun, jumped the teller counter, and ordered a bank employee at gunpoint to go to the credit union’s vault." He threatened to shoot them if they did not comply, prosecutors said.
Authorities arrested Babudar shortly after the robbery and saw a large bag in his possession with the cash. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, investigators searched his 2019 Mazda 3 and discovered goggles, gloves, and a Barstool Sportsbook Betslip for $20,000, dated Nov. 19, 2022, as well as another Betslip for $4,000 from Dec. 1, 2022.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, "Babudar also admitted that he committed, or attempted to commit, nine robberies of banks and credit unions in addition to the two to which he pleaded guilty." Prosecutors said the crimes were "considered as relevant conduct for sentencing."
Federal prosecutors said Babudar admitted to stealing over $170,000 from a bank in Omaha in April 2022, over $300,000 from a credit union in West Des Moines, Iowa, in July 2022, and over $125,000 from a credit union in Nashville in November 2022. The defendant allegedly used some of the stolen money to buy $20,000 in chips at a local casino.
Furthermore, he reportedly admitted to attempting to rob two Minnesota credit unions on the same day in November 2022, but the defendant saw they only had small bills and fled.
Prosecutors said the defendant confessed to stealing $25,000 from a bank in Clive, Iowa, on Nov. 30, 2022. He then reportedly returned to an institution he had tried to rob in March 2022 and fled after an employee gave him cash.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Babudar also attempted to rob a bank in Nebraska on Dec. 15, 2022, but he was unable to open the doors and left the area. He reportedly admitted that he had robbed the Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union the following day but was arrested. Babudar was released on bond two months later, in February 2023.
Investigators reportedly learned Babudar often laundered the stolen money through local casinos and online gambling. In June 2022, prosecutors said Babudar bet $5,000 that Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes would win the Most Valuable Player at Super Bowl LVII, and he also bet $5,000 that the Kansas City Chiefs would win Super Bowl LVII. Babudar won a total of $100,000 as a result, and the Argosy Casino reportedly mailed the check in March 2023.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Babudar cut off his ankle monitor days later and fled Oklahoma, using his gambling winnings to buy a car in Nevada. He was eventually arrested in July 2023. He reportedly admitted to robbing two other banks as a fugitive from justice, including a robbery at a Nevada bank in June 2023 and one in California in early July 2023. The defendant has been in federal custody without bond since his July 2023 arrest.
U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said, "While parading as a social media celebrity, the defendant secretly engaged in a violent crime spree of armed robberies and attempted robberies across seven states. Babudar’s robbery spree bankrolled the expensive tickets and travel across the country to attend Kansas City Chiefs games while he cultivated a large fan base online. However, the bank and credit union employees whom he terrorized at gunpoint suffered the brunt of his true nature. He tried to flee from justice, but law enforcement caught up with him and now he will spend a significant portion of his life in prison."
Most Popular
Comments / 0