Superfan charged with robbing banks and stealing £548k to buy football tickets
An American football superfan known as "ChiefsAholic" has been indicted for robbing several banks and other financial institutions and laundering the almost $700,000 through local casinos so he could fund his larger-than-life lifestyle.
Xaviar Michael Babudar, 29, was charged in a 19-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, for crimes committed across four states.
Babudar lived a nomadic existence across the Kansas City metropolitan area, but gained popularity across the city and country through his X - formerly known as Twitter - social media account @ChiefsAholic. The Kansas City Chiefs superfan routinely attended games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs clothing.
Xaviar Michael Babudar, 29, was charged in a 19-count indictment (Tulsa County Sheriff)According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Missouri, Babudar's ability to attend said games and the lifestyle he enjoyed was solely funded by his perpetration of a string of bank and credit union robberies throughout 2022.
After committing the crimes and laundering the money, Babudar attended a series of Chiefs home and away games with his newfound funds. He also betted a number of wagers on outcomes in Chiefs games, the indictment states. Those were not entered in the states of Missouri or Kansas.
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Babudar's ability to attend games and the lifestyle he enjoyed was solely funded by his perpetration of a string of bank and credit union robberies throughout 2022 (Getty Images)The transient was charged with three counts of armed bank robbery, one count of bank theft, 11 counts of money laundering and four counts of transporting stolen property across state lines.
Babudar first allegedly stole $70,000 from a Great Western Bank in Clive, Iowa, on March 2, 2022. The superfan would carry the money back to Missouri before depositing it on two separate occasions into his personal savings account.
The superfan lived a nomadic existence across the Kansas City metropolitan area, but gained popularity through his X - formerly known as Twitter - social media account @ChiefsAholic (ChiefsAholic/Instagram)He then reportedly traveled to Omaha, Nebraska, robbing a First National Bank there of $170,860 on April 28, 2022. Babudar wouldn't walk away from that heist with a big payday, however, as Omaha police were eventually able to recover $163,560.
On July 13, 2022, an emboldened Babudar allegedly stole $303,845 from a First Class Community Credit Union in West Des Moines, Iowa. He is reported to have even brandished a weapon - a silver and black firearm - before jumping over the counter and demanding that employees open the bank vault.
He allegedly completed six successful robberies (AP)After the robbery, Babudar allegedly traveled back to Missouri and deposited $23,000 into his savings account. That money was then used to make various chip purchases at casinos in Missouri and in Illinois over the course of the next three months, before the winnings from that was eventually deposited into his savings account, the release of the indictment states.
Traveling to Nashville, Tennessee, in November 17, 2022, Babudar allegedly went into a Tennessee Credit Union and brandished the same weapon while stealing $125,900. He used that money to purchase $20,000 in chips in multiple transactions from a casino in the area, according to the release.
Babudar allegedly took the money and used casinos to launder the funds (AP)Babudar would allegedly steal $25,000 from a First Interstate Bank in Clive, Iowa, on November 30, 2022, following a stint of failed robbery attempts. This money was reportedly deposited into his personal checking account back in Missouri.
He was finally charged in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, after a robbery of a Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union on December 16, 2022. Babudar was released on bond in February 2023, the release states.
After getting charged in Oklahoma, he allegedly placed bets and won $100,000 before fleeing to California (Getty Images)The superfan wouldn't stop his rampage there, however. Placing a number of bets for his favorite team months before he was charged for the Tulsa robbery, Babudar reportedly received $100,000 after the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl on February 12, 2023, and as quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named the Most Valuable Player.
He would cut his ankle monitor off, days later, and flee from Oklahoma, according to the indictment. He was on the run from law enforcement until he was arrested in Sacramento, California, on July 7, 2023.
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According to authorities, Babudar may be tied to a number of other unsolved bank robberies throughout the Midwest United States. His cell phone has been placed in a number of cities and locations where the previously unsolved crimes are, according to the affidavit. Babudar is currently in federal custody without bond.
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