UPDATE
Feb 29, 2024 1:25 PM CST
The second-most well-known fan of the Kansas City Chiefs has pleaded guilty to robbing banks to fund his fandom. Xaviar Michael Babudar, 29, aka ChiefsAholic, admitted to the multiple robberies as well as money laundering and now faces up to 50 years in federal prison when he's sentenced this summer, reports CNN.
Jul 13, 2023 9:55 AM CDT
Kansas City Chiefs superfan "ChiefsAholic" was a thief in wolf's clothing who robbed banks to fund his travels to see the team, investigators say. Xaviar Babudar, 29, was known for turning up at almost every Chiefs game, often dressed as a wolf, the NFL team's mascot, the New York Times reports. He claimed he funded his lifestyle by managing warehouses, but prosecutors say he's a suspect in at least seven bank robberies in six states last year. Babudar, who had been a fugitive since he missed a hearing in connection with an Oklahoma bank robbery four months ago, was arrested on federal charges in California last week.
Prosecutors believe Babudar stole more than $800,000 in robberies of banks and credit unions between April and December last year, ESPN reports. He allegedly bought and redeemed around $1 million in casino chips in several states over the same period. For years, Babudar was the team's best-known fan and often appeared in NFL broadcasts, the Times reports. He portrayed himself as a high roller, regularly posting images of betting slips on social media, though authorities say he has a history of petty crimes and appears to have spent much of his life living in his car, the Times reports.
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According to court documents filed after his December arrest in Tulsa, where he allegedly waved an air pistol in a teller's face, Babudar said he was homeless and hadn't had a regular income since 2021. Tulsa-area bail bondsman Michael Lloyd tells ESPN he's been looking for Babudar for months. He agreed to put up the $80,000 bond partly because he wanted to help out a fellow Chiefs fan, per the Times, but Babudar cut off his ankle monitor and vanished. Lloyd tells ESPN he paid the $80,000 bail forfeiture Friday and received a call from the FBI about the arrest just minutes later. (More Kansas City Chiefs stories.)
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