KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Chiefs superfan Xaviar Babudar was sentenced Thursday to 17½ years in prison without the possibility of parole and three years of supervised release for committing a series of armed bank robberies across the United States.

Babudar, better known as ChiefsAholic, entered into a plea agreement in February in which he admitted stealing more than $800,000 in 11 robberies across seven states and laundering the proceeds through casinos. He pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery, one count of money laundering and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines.

Dressed head to toe in a gray wolf suit, Babudar, 30, was a fixture at Chiefs games for years, adored by fans at Arrowhead Stadium and on social media, where he played the role of a hardworking, generous bachelor.

Court documents filed last week say Babudar was able to attend Chiefs games and develop his image as a ChiefsAholic thanks to his 16-month string of robberies, which began in March 2022.

Dressed in a yellow prison jumpsuit and handcuffs during his sentencing in the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Babudar apologized to his victims, to Kansas City, which he called home, and to his mother and brother. He blew them a kiss as he left the courtroom.

Babudar’s attorney, Matthew Merryman, said Babudar’s robberies were driven by gambling addiction. Patrick Daly, senior litigation counsel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, disagreed.

“It’s not a gambling addiction. It’s not a Chiefs addiction,” he said. “It’s a fame addiction.”

Prosecutors quoted a statement from a victim of the robbery, who wrote: “(M)y team did not deserve to be held at gunpoint twice so a man in a wolf suit could travel across the country to watch football and make outrageous bets.”

According to court documents, Babudar told a Nashville credit union employee he would “blow your brains out” and that if they gave him a paint kit, he would “come back and put a bullet in your head.”

In a separate document, Merryman wrote that Babudar is remorseful, hopes to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering and wants to help others struggling with gambling addiction.

An ESPN investigation found that Babudar had a troubled upbringing and a history of legal troubles, and that much of what he posted about himself on social media was untrue. Merryman wrote in a filing that Babudar had experienced childhood trauma and chronic homelessness.

Babudar’s secret life came to light on December 16, 2022, when Bixby, Oklahoma, police arrested him while fleeing an armed robbery at the Tulsa Teachers Credit Union. He was released on bail in February 2023, and a month later—after winning $100,000 from two bets on the Chiefs—he cut off his GPS monitor and escaped.

Babudar eluded authorities for nearly four months, robbing banks in Sparks, Nevada, and El Dorado Hills, California, while on the run. On July 7, 2023, he was arrested in Lincoln, California.

Merryman argued in court proceedings that Babudar should be given a 10-year prison sentence so he has time to correct his mistakes.

“Xaviar’s quasi-celebrity status places him in a unique position to potentially recoup the financial losses incurred as a result of his actions,” Merryman wrote.

Babudar must pay $532,455 in restitution and forfeit any assets he acquired as a result of his crimes, including an autographed painting of quarterback Patrick Mahomes he bought at a charity auction that was recovered by the Kansas City FBI. In April, a judge ordered Babudar to pay $10.8 million to the Bixby cashier he threatened at gunpoint.

Babudar, who is awaiting sentencing in Leavenworth Federal Prison in Kansas, has requested to be housed in Greenville Federal Prison in Illinois.