28 February 2024
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — A Kansas City Chiefs superfan accused of robbing banks across the country has pleaded guilty and could face decades in prison.
Xaviar Babudar, better known as the wolf suit-wearing “ChiefsAholic,” has pleaded guilty Wednesday to three charges: one count of money laundering, one count of transporting stolen property across state lines and one count of bank robbery in Oklahoma.
The 29-year-old originally pleaded not guilty last year to 19 charges, including armed robbery, bank theft, money laundering and transporting stolen property.
He’s accused of robbing — or attempting to rob — 11 banks in seven different states and laundering the money through casinos and online gambling.
Court records say he used the money to pay for Chiefs tickets, travel and bet on games. During this time, a federal indictment said Babudar did not report any wages earned in the states of Missouri or Kansas.
While out on bond last year, prosecutors allege he got a $100,000 check right before cutting off his ankle monitor and going on the run.
Prosecutors say he admitted to two bank robberies while he was a fugitive. He was arrested in northern California a few months after cutting off his monitor. He’s been in federal custody since then.
“His violent crime spree across the Midwest and beyond traumatized bank employees and victimized financial institutions in seven states,” U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said in a release.
“The defendant tried to conceal hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen cash by using it to gamble online and at casinos, but the odds caught up with him. With today’s conviction, he will be held accountable for the full scope of his criminal conduct, including his attempt to flee from justice.”
Babudar was scheduled to go to trial in April, but that trial will now be canceled. Over a dozen other charges have also been dismissed in the plea deal.
The 29-year-old will be sentenced on July 10. He could face up to 50 years in prison, depending on if the judge opts to run his sentence consecutively or concurrently.
As part of the plea, Babudar also has to pay at least $532,675 in restitution to the victim’s financial institutions and forfeit any property involved — including an autographed painting of Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes — to the government.
“While Babudar garnered significant national attention, his criminal actions were reckless – intimidating and victimizing bank employees and the institutions themselves,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen A. Cyrus said.
“Significant law enforcement resources were utilized across multiple states to locate and arrest Babudar. This would not have occurred without the assistance and due diligence of our local, state, and federal partners.”