(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) A Kansas man known as "Chiefsaholic", a super-fan of the Kansas City, Missouri, Chiefs NFL Football team was sentenced in federal court on Thursday, September 5, 2024, for his involvement in bank robberies and money laundering.
To watch the United States Attorney, Teresa Moore's statement regarding the sentencing, click here.
Xavier Michael Babudar, 30, from Overland Park, Kan. was sentenced in the United States Department of Justice's (DOJ)Western District of Missouri federal court in Kansas City, Mo. on Thursday afternoon on charges stemming from 11 robberies and attempted robberies across seven states in which he stole $847,725 from financial institutions.
U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore commented on Babudar's sentencing Thursday afternoon.
"While parading as a social media celebrity, the defendant secretly engaged in a violent crime spreeof armed robberies and attempted robberies across seven states,” said Moore. “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.”
Babudar was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to 17 years and six months in federal prison, without the possibility of parole. He also ordered Babudar to pay $532, 675 in restitution to the financial institutions that were victimized, some of the stolen funds were recovered, however most of the money was not.
Additionally, Judge Sachs ordered Babudar to forfeit any property gained from his money laundering activities to the government, including an autographed painting of Chiefs' Quarterback, Patrick L. Mahomes II, which was recovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) during the course of their investigation.
U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson from the Northern District of Oklahoma commented on Bubadar's sentencing in regard to his actions against bank employees in OK.
"The actions of Babudar were brazen and traumatic for the bank employees robbed in Bixby, OK," Johnson said. "A big thank you to the Bixby Police Department for their hard work in collaboration with the FBI Tulsa field office, who helped detain Babudar in OK."
FBI KC Special Agent in Charge, Stephen Cyrus reflected on Babudar's sentencing and how his actions impacted the seven states where his crimes took place.
"The bank was not the only victim of these crimes," Agent Cyrus said. "Babudar terrorized bank employees throughout his multi-state crime spree, while relishing his celebrity status. Today's sentencing speaks to the severity of his actions and the significant law enforcement assistance and resources utilized across multiple states to hold him accountable for his violent and criminal behavior."
According to the DOJ, earlier this year on February 28th, Babudar pleaded guilty to one count of Money Laundering and one count of Transporting Stolen Property Across State Lines, in a separate case filed in the Northern District of OK, Babudar also pleaded guilty to one count of Bank Robbery.
According to the Communications representative with the DOJ's Western District of Mo., Babudar will serve a total of 17 years and six months in federal prison for both of the Mo. cases and the OK. case.
Babudar also admitted that he had committed nine robberies or attempted robberies at banks and credit unions in 2022, two bank robberies while he was evading law enforcement, and had laundered a majority of his stolen funds through area casinos and online gambling sites.
According to the DOJ, Babudar was living a "nomadic" lifestyle, hoping from stop to stop within the KC Metropolitan area, and living in the lap of luxury provided to him as a social media celebrity through his "Chiefsaholic" persona, attending games dressed as KC Wolf and operating an X (formerly known as Twitter) profile under the username "@ChiefsAholic."
Babudar pleaded guilty to stealing $70,000 from the Clive, Iowa branch of the Great Western Bank on March 2, 2022, he admitted to entering the bank wearing a ski mask and handing the teller a note demanding money, indicating he had a firearm, then fled on foot, leaving behind a glove and about $1,420 in $20 bills in a nearby wooded area. Investigators analyzed the glove and extracted Babudar's DNA from the item. Babudar then carried the stolen funds into the state of Missouri, separating it into two transactions deposited into his personal savings account in order to obscure the details surrounding his receipt of the funds.
Babudar also pleaded guilty to stealing $139,500 from the Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union in Bixby, OK on December 16, 2022, admitting to entering the credit union armed with an apparent black handgun, jumping the teller counter, and ordering a bank employee at gunpoint to go into the bank vault, from there, he ordered the employee to put cash into a plastic bag, during this robbery, Babudar told employees that if they did not obey his commands he would shoot them.
Babudar was arrested shortly after the robbery and was in possession with a large bag that contained $139,500 in $100 bills, and an additional $10,750 in $50 bills, a total of $150,250. Investigators searched his vehicle, a 2019 Mazda Three and discovered a multitude of goggles and gloves which Babudar wore during the commission of his robberies, alongside a Barstool Sportsbook Betting Slip for $20,000 dating back to November 19th of 2022; a FanDuel betting slip for $4,000 dating back to December 1, 2022; and a series of letters from Community America Credit Union revealing deposit information in the amount of $20,000 and $50,000 from May 2, 2022.
Babudar additionally admitted to committing or attempting to commit a string of nine robberies at banks and credit unions on top of the two he plead guilty to while evading capture by law enforcement agencies.
Babudar admitted to stealing $170,860 from the Omaha, Nebraska First National Bank of Omaha on April 28, 2022, entering the bank with a firearm and ordering bank employees to open the vault. Omaha Police Officers recovered $163,560 after the robbery.
Babudar also admitted to stealing $303,845 from the West Des Moines, IA. First Class Community Credit Union on July 13, 2022, brandishing a firearm, jumping over the counter, ordering bank employees to open the vault and carrying the stolen funds across state lines into Mo. where he began laundering the funds through area casinos and depositing the "clean" funds into his personal bank account.
Babudar admitted to stealing $125,900 from the Nashville, Tennessee Credit Union on November 17, 2022 armed with a firearm, jumped over the counter, ordered bank employees to open the vault, and telling employees that if they slipped a ink pack into the stolen funds he would "come back and put a bullet in your head," he then fled on foot, leaving behind a hat which investigators later used to recover his DNA and match it to the DNA from the glove in the March 2nd robbery. Days later, Babudar used some of the stolen cash to purchase $20,000 in casino tokens broken into several separate transactions at a local casino.
Babudar admitted that he attempted to rob Wings Financial Credit Union in Savage, Minnesota on November 29, 2022, he entered the institution with a firearm, demanded cash, then fled after finding only small bills in the bank vault.
Babudar admitted to trying to rob Royal Credit Union in Apple Valley, MN, later that same day, entering the institution with a firearm, demanding employees open the vault, and after again observing only small bills contained in the vault, he demanded $100 bills from employees who informed him that they did not keep those bills in the vault, he then fled on foot.
Babudar admitted to stealing $25,000 from the Clive, IA. First Interstate Bank, the very next day, November 30, 2022, then returned to the institution he had already victimized in March which had then become a First Interstate Bank, entered the institution with a firearm, jumped over the counter, demanded that employees open the vault while pointing the gun at them, and then fled on foot, carrying the stolen funds across the state line into Mo. and depositing some of the money into his personal bank account.
Babudar admitted to attempting to rob the Pinnacle Bank in Papillion, NE on December 15, 2022 at approximately 1:55 p.m., entering the lobby of the bank, pulling on the doors, finding them locked, he fled, the next day he robbed the Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union and was taken into custody a short while afterward.
After being arrested in OK in December of 2022, Babudar was released on bond in February of 2023, months before his arrest, Babudar placed two bets at the Argosy Casino in Alton, Illinois which came to fruition, a $5,000 bet on KC Chiefs' Quarterback Mahomes winning Most Valuable Player during the Super Bowl 58, winning him $45,000, and a $5,000 bet that the Chiefs would win Super Bowl 58, gaining him $55,000. After the Chiefs did win Super Bowl 58 on February 12, 2023 and Mahomes was named MVP, Babudar recieved a total of $100,000 in winnings. The Argosy Casino mailed a check to Babudar for his earnings in early March of 2023.
Days after that, Babudar cut off his ankle monitor and fled OK, using his gambling proceeds to purchase a vehicle in Henderson, Nevada, and evading capture from law enforcement agencies until his arrest in Sacramento, California on July 7, 2023.
While evading capture, Babudar admitted to robbing two more financial institutions, stealing $1,100 from Heritage Bank in Sparks, NV on June 8th, entering the bank wearing a beanie, a medical mask, a blue long-sleeved shirt, khaki pants, and a fanny pack, he showed a note to the teller written on his cell phone, which demanded money.
Babudar admitted to stealing $950 from U.S. Bank in El Dorado Hills, CA on July 3, 2023, entering the bank wearing a hooded grey sweatshirt, a medical mask, and a reflective yellow vest, he showed a note written on his cell hone to the teller, which demanded money from the employee.
Babudar has been in federal custody without bond since his capture on July 7, 2023.
This case was prosecuted by the Senior Litigation Counsel, Patrick D. Daly, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie C. Bradshaw in the Western District of Mo., and by U.S. Attorney Clinton J. Johnson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric O. Johnston in the Northern District of OK.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Bixby, OK., Police Department, who originally detained Babudar in December of 2022, additionally, the Placer County, CA. Sheriff's Department and the Lincoln, CA. Police Department assisted the FBI with Babudar's capture on July 7th of 2023.
