Kansas City Chiefs fan "ChiefsAholic" sentenced to more than 17 years after robbing banks to fund sports fandom
As the Kansas City Chiefs kick off the 2024 NFL season against the Baltimore Ravens, one of the reigning Super Bowl champions' most infamous fans will be absent from the stands. No, not Taylor Swift — Xavier Babudar, better known as "ChiefsAholic," was sentenced to 17 years and six months following a string of bank robberies across the country.
He was sentenced on charges related to 11 robberies across seven states, stealing over $800,000.
Babudar became well known for suiting up in a wolf costume to attend Chiefs games, garnering attention throughout the team's recent string of championships with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
"While parading as a social media celebrity, Babudar secretly engaged in a violent crime spree," U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said Thursday in a statement. "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."
Babudar was ordered to pay $532,675 in restitution and forfeit any property involved in laundering the stolen money, which the U.S. Attorney's office said in a press release included an autographed picture of Mahomes. The attorney's office that most of the money Babudar stole has not been recovered.
Badubar was first charged in December 2022 following a series of successful and attempted robberies and was released on bond in February 2023. Babudar cut his ankle monitor and fled the authorities in March 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. That was days after he had received a check with winnings from successfully betting on the Chiefs to win Super Bowl LVII and Mahomes to win Super Bowl MVP in 2023, the attorney's office said.
He was again arrested in Sacramento in July of 2023 and charged with bank theft and transporting stolen property across state lines in federal court. Babudar admitted to robbing two additional banks while on the run, and has been detained without bond since then.
On Feb. 11, the Kansas City Chiefs won their second consecutive Super Bowl. On Feb. 28, Babudar pleaded guilty to bank robbery, money laundering and transporting stolen property across state lines. In April, he was ordered by a judge in Oklahoma to pay $10.8 million to a bank teller for injuries and punitive damages sustained during the Bixby robbery.