Kansas City Chiefs superfan Xaviar Babudar, aka “Chiefsaholic,” was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison Thursday for multiple convictions related to a 16-month spree of bank robberies that started in March 2022.
Judge Howard Sachs of the U.S. District Court in Kansas City also ordered Babudar to pay $532,675 in restitution to his victims and forfeit the proceeds of his crimes that include an autographed painting of Patrick Mahomes that he purchased at auction.
Babudar, 30, was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023 on 19 counts including multiple counts of armed bank robbery and money laundering. He pleaded guilty in February to one count of bank robbery, one count of money laundering and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines.
As part of the plea agreement, Babudar confessed to stealing more than $800,000 from 11 banks and credit unions in seven states including Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Oklahoma and California. Babudar then laundered the proceeds through casinos, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors said that Babudar brandished what appeared to be a gun during the robberies.
Per the Kansas City Star, two bank employees who were victimized by Babudar testified or provided written statements at his sentencing hearing.
“Every morning, I think about the robbery before I go to work,” one victim wrote in a statement.
“I still have nightmares about my bank being robbed,” another said in court.
Babudar addressed his crimes during the hearing, per the Star.
“Every day is a reminder of that shame I must carry,” he said.
Prior to the revelation of his bank-robbing spree, Babudar was a beloved figure among Chiefs fans and on social media. He was a regular at Chiefs games while dressed up in a wolf costume in homage to the team’s mascot KC Wolf. Prosecutors say that Babudar used the proceeds from his bank robberies to fund his attendance at Chiefs games and build the “Chiefsaholic” brand.
Babudar was initially arrested in December 2022 in Bixby, Oklahoma and released on bond to home confinement. Per prosecutors, he removed his ankle monitor and proceeded to rob two more banks. He was captured by the FBI near Sacramento, California after nearly three months as a fugitive.
Babudar was initially scheduled to be sentenced on July 10. Instead he was sentenced on Thursday, hours before the Chiefs kick off the NFL season in a home game against the Baltimore Ravens.
