Xaviar Babudar, also known as ChiefsAholic, sentenced to 17 years for robberies

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Die-hard Chiefs fan Xaviar Babudar was sentenced Thursday to 17 1/2 years in prison without the possibility of parole and three years of supervised release for a series of armed bank robberies across the United States.

Babudar, better known as ChiefsAholic, entered a plea agreement in February in which he admitted to stealing more than $800,000 in 11 robberies in seven states and laundering money 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, the 30-year-old Babudar became a fixture at Chiefs games over the years and was beloved by fans at Arrowhead Stadium and on social media, where he projected an image of a hard-working, generous bachelor.

In court documents filed last week, prosecutors said Babudar was able to attend Chiefs games and develop his ChiefsAholic persona thanks to a 16-month string of assaults that began in March 2022.

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

Babudar’s attorney, Matthew Merryman, said Babudar’s attacks were caused by a gambling addiction. Patrick Daly, senior counsel for litigation in 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 one of the attack victims as saying: “(M)y team did not deserve to be put under gunpoint twice so that a man in a wolf suit could travel the country, watch football games and make extravagant bets.”

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

In a separate document, Merryman wrote that Babudar is remorseful, would like to train in a mechanical trade and wants to help others struggling with gambling addiction.

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

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

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

In court documents, Merryman argued that Babudar should be sentenced to 10 years in prison so he has time to correct his mistakes.

“Due to his quasi-celebrity status, Xaviar is in a unique position to potentially repay the financial losses caused by his actions,” Merryman wrote.

Babudar must pay $532,455 in restitution and forfeiture of property obtained through his crimes, including a signed painting of quarterback Patrick Mahomes that he bought at a charity auction and that was recovered by the FBI in Kansas City. In April, a judge ordered Babudar to pay $10.8 million to a Bixby’s cashier he threatened with a gun.

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