KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Chiefs superfan is being sentenced on the same day the team he loves starts a new season.

A federal judge sentenced Xaviar Babudar, also known as ChiefsAholic, to more than 17 years in prison during a hearing Thursday morning.

Babudar pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs in February to one count of money laundering and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines. Babudar also pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery for robbing a credit union near Tulsa. The charges are linked to 11 bank robberies, or attempted robberies, in seven states.

Court documents show that Babudar laundered much of the stolen money through area casinos and online gambling.

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Babudar faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted. He must also pay $532,000 in restitution and forfeit a signed painting of Patrick Mahomes.

Babudar was first arrested on December 16, 2022, after robbing a credit union near Tulsa, Oklahoma.

According to court documents, Babudar cut off his ankle monitor and escaped while awaiting trial in Oklahoma. The same documents show he disappeared just days after a casino paid him $100,000 in winning Super Bowl bets he had placed on the Chiefs.

He was on the run for months before being arrested in Sacramento, California, in July 2023.

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Federal court documents released after Babudar’s arrest in California accuse Babudar of robbing financial institutions in 2022 to make money attending Kansas City Chiefs games and other exclusive events.

Babudar also faces charges in Oklahoma.

WITNESS STATEMENTS

The first deposition was written by a bank employee in Nashville, Tennessee, where Babudar stole $125,900. She wrote about experiencing PTSD more than a year after the incident in which he climbed over the bank counter, held a gun to the teller’s body and demanded that credit union employees take him to the vault.

Another testimony was given personally by a bank employee from Iowa, from whom Babudar stole twice. She said she felt guilty because she could not prevent something like this from happening to her employees. She shared a similar story about him running in, jumping over a counter, pointing a gun at her employees, and holding the gun against the teller’s body. The second time he came to steal from the bank, there were six people in the bank. She became teary-eyed at the end of her statement sharing the traumatic experience.

BABUDAR’S RESPONSE

Babudar feels guilt, remorse and shame for his actions. He apologized to the victims and their families.

He thanked the Public Prosecution Service for giving him this opportunity, which he calls “a path to correction” as he moves closer to his religion.

He thanked the Kansas City community and Chiefsaholic fans because he didn’t know what home looked like until he received support.

BABUDAR’S LAWYER

Babudar’s attorney Matthew T. Merryman, Esq. of Bates Merryman Law Firm LLC, explained to the judge his reasons for a 10-year prison sentence before making the decision.

He said Babudar was chronically homeless as a child, along with his family, and was not ready to become a popular figure in Kansas City after finding success on social media as Chiefsaholic.

He said he has reflected on his greed and selfishness, and that he is remorseful for his actions. That he wants to participate in rehabilitation services in prison, including help for his gambling addiction.

US GOVERNMENT

Senior Litigation Counsel Patrick D. Daly claimed that this case was unlike any other robbery case he had sought. The amount of money, the fact that he had to work with six U.S. law firms, and the trauma he had caused were grounds for a 20-year prison sentence.

That Babudar is “in a class of his own.”

He said the idea of ​​Babudar being involved in sports in any way is not beneficial to him or anyone else as sports betting is incredibly popular across state lines and across the country.

The case was prosecuted by Daly and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie C. Bradshaw in the Western District of Missouri, U.S. Attorney Clinton J. Johnson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric O. Johnston in the Northern District of Oklahoma.

It was investigated by the FBI and the Bixby, Oklahoma, Police Department. The Bixby, Oklahoma, Police Department arrested Babudar in December 2022, and the Placer County, California, Sheriff’s Office and the Lincoln, California, Police Department assisted the FBI in making the arrest in July 2023.

JUDGE’S DECISION

Judge Sachs said this was a “significant criminal situation” as he openly discussed the sentencing options available to him, which ranged from 14-20 years, with a sentence of 17.5 years.

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