‘ChiefsAholic’ superfan gets state prison sentence tacked onto federal term for bank robberies
- Share via
Like Patrick Mahomes marching the Kansas City Chiefs on another game-winning drive, Xavier Michael Babudar — aka the “ChiefsAholic” superfan — can put numbers on the board.
A court on Monday in Oklahoma sentenced the serial bank robber to a 32-year term in state prison that will run concurrently with his federal sentence of 17½ years. After Babudar serves the federal term — without the possibility of parole — he will be transferred to state prison to spend 14½ more years.
Babudar, 30, admitted to 11 robberies in 2022 and 2023 across seven states from California to Tennessee. His guilty and no contest pleas in both federal and state courts squeezed what could have been drawn-out trial proceedings into the judicial equivalent of two-minute drills.
His lawyer, Brett Swab, said Babudar “expressed sincere remorse and took full responsibility for his actions” in court Monday.
When not terrorizing bank and credit union employees at gunpoint, Babudar attended NFL games all over the country dressed up as the “ChiefsAholic,” beloved by fans of the three-time Super Bowl champions because he wore a wolf costume that covered his face to games, ostensibly to honor Chiefs mascot K.C. Wolf.
Talk about a wolf in Chiefs clothing.
Xaviar Michael Babudar, a Chiefs superfan who wore a wolf’s costume to games, robbed 11 banks in seven states of nearly $850,000. He also laundered money through casinos.
That, not surprisingly, is the title of a true-crime documentary about Babudar’s secret life as a serial bank robber directed by Dylan Sires. Catch it on Amazon Prime.
Even though Babudar admitted his crimes, Tulsa County Dist. Atty. Steve Kunzweiler was disappointed that his recommendation of a life sentence wasn’t granted.
“I think he caught a break,” Kunzweiler told Tulsa television station KJRH. “I look like how he’ll probably look when he gets out of prison. I’m 63 years old, and I don’t put it past him to be able to go out and start committing other crimes.”
Federal prosecutors were equally strident about putting Babudar away for as long as possible. He was convicted of stealing $847,725 from financial institutions, and several robberies were at gunpoint.
Seven Chilean nationals were charged in connection with breaking in and stealing property worth more than $2 million from the homes of professional athletes.
In one particularly egregious episode, he stole $125,900 from the Nashville branch of the Tennessee Credit Union by climbing over the bank teller counter, pressing a firearm against the teller’s body and demanding to be taken to the vault. Babudar told employees that if he was given fake bills or a dye pack, he would “come back and put a bullet in your head.”
Within days, he was back at Arrowhead Stadium, cheering on the Chiefs and signing autographs for children.
“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,” U.S. Atty. Teresa Moore said at his federal sentencing in September. “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.”
After initially being arrested in Oklahoma in December 2022, Babudar was released on bond two months later.
Months earlier, he had placed two $5,000 bets at the Argosy Casino in Alton, Ill., one on Mahomes winning the Most Valuable Player award at Super Bowl LVII and the other on the Chiefs winning the game. He won both bets and they paid $100,000, which the casino mailed to him in March 2023.
Babudar cut his ankle monitor, fled from Oklahoma and used his gambling winnings to purchase a vehicle near Las Vegas. He evaded law enforcement and continued to rob banks until his arrest in Sacramento on July 7, 2023. He’s been incarcerated since, and will continue to be for decades.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
