Latest news with #XaviarBabudar
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Kansas City Chiefs superfan "ChiefsAholic" sentenced to 32 years in Oklahoma prison for bank robbery
A Kansas City Chiefs superfan known as "ChiefsAholic" was sentenced Monday in an Oklahoma courtroom to serve 32 years in state prison for robbing a Tulsa-area bank, a sentence that will be carried out after he finishes serving time in federal prison. Xaviar Babudar, 30, appeared in a Tulsa courtroom and apologized to the court and victims of the December 2022 robbery of the Tulsa Teachers Credit Union in Bixby, Oklahoma, said Babudar's attorney, Jay-Michael Swab. "He expressed sincere remorse and took full responsibility for his actions," Swab said. Babudar was already serving more than 17 years in federal prison for a string of 11 bank robberies across seven states where he stole nearly $850,000 to finance his social media stardom. Swab said the robberies were also the result of a gambling addiction. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler had sought life in prison for Babudar. "The violence that Babudar exhibited to the employees of the Tulsa Teacher Credit Union was abhorrent," Kunzweiler said in a statement. "He is a serial robber who traumatized these victims and numerous other victims across this country." A Kansas City Chiefs fan, ChiefsAholic, poses for photos while walking toward Empower Field at Mile High before an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Chiefs, Jan. 8, 2022, in Denver. David Zalubowski/AP Tulsa County District Judge Michelle Keely ordered Babudar's 32-year sentence to run concurrently to his federal sentence, which means after he is released from federal prison he will be transferred to state custody to serve his remaining 14 years. Babudar developed a following on his ChiefsAholic account on the social platform X after attending games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs gear. His avid support of the Chiefs became well known on social media. Badubar was first charged in December 2022 following a series of successful and attempted robberies and was released on bond in February 2023. Babudar cut his ankle monitor and fled the authorities in March 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. That was days after he had received a check with winnings from successfully betting on the Chiefs to win Super Bowl LVII and Mahomes to win Super Bowl MVP in 2023, the attorney's office said. He was again arrested in Sacramento in July of 2023 and charged with bank theft and transporting stolen property across state lines in federal court. In November, Prime Video released a true-crime documentary detailing Babudar's story as a Kansas City Chiefs superfan and serial bank robber.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chiefs Superfan Receives 32 Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty to Oklahoma Bank Robbery
Kansas City Chiefs superfan Xaviar Babudar has been sentenced to 32 years in prison in connection with a December 2022 bank robbery in Bixby, Okla., according to reports Babudar, 30, is currently serving 17 years in federal prison for multiple bank robberies across the country; he will serve the sentences concurrently, meaning he will spend more than 14 years in an Oklahoma prison after finishing his federal sentence Babudar earned notoriety as a Chiefs superfan after he dressed up as a wolf at the team's gamesKansas City Chiefs superfan Xaviar Babudar has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for a 2022 bank robbery that he committed in Bixby, Okla. Babudar, 30, was sentenced in an Oklahoma courtroom on Monday, May 12 after carrying out a robbery at a Tulsa Teachers Credit Union, 2 News Oklahoma, ESPN and KSL News reported. The notorious Chief superfan will serve the sentence concurrently with a 17-year federal prison sentence that he is currently serving for multiple bank robberies, per the outlets. This means he'll serve more than 14 years in an Oklahoma prison after completing his federal sentence. Babudar pleaded guilty to one count of robbery with a firearm, one count of assault while masked or disguised, and one count of removing an electronic monitoring device, per ESPN. Babudar, also known as 'Chiefsaholic,' earned notoriety on social media as a Chiefs superfan who dressed up as a wolf at the team's games. He was arrested in December 2022 and again in July 2023, before confessing to carrying out a series of robberies in February 2024, per AP. Babudar admitted to robbing 11 banks in total across eight states, according to reports. In December 2022, Babudar stopped at the bank in Bixby while heading to a Chiefs game and pointed a gun at a bank teller before fleeing with $150,000. He was captured by police shortly and released on bond in February 2023, per ESPN and 2 News Oklahoma. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said after the sentencing on Monday, per KSL News, 'The violence that Babudar exhibited to the employees of the Tulsa Teacher Credit Union was abhorrent. He is a serial robber who traumatized these victims.' Kunzweiler wanted him to receive a life sentence. The judge noted that Babudar did not use a real gun to carry out the robbery, which helped to lessen his sentence, per 2 News Oklahoma. Babudar's attorneys, Brett and Jay-Michael Swab, said his robbery attempts were 'fueled by a gambling addiction and a troubled childhood that left him homeless.' They added that their client is 'remorseful and has found Jesus during his incarceration,' per ESPN. In April 2024, Babudar was ordered by an Oklahoma judge to pay $10.8 million to the teller he assaulted with a gun, per the AP. He was later sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison in September 2024 and was also ordered to pay $532,675 in restitution to the "victim financial institutions,' the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Missouri said in a press release. Prosecutors said a majority of the stolen money was laundered through casinos and online gambling. Babudar also robbed banks or attempted to rob banks in Iowa, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Tennessee, Minnesota, Nevada and California in 2022 and 2023. PEOPLE has contacted the Tulsa County District's Office for comment. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Superfan ‘ChiefsAholic' sentenced to prison in Oklahoma for robberies
After receiving a federal prison sentence last year, Kansas City Chiefs superfan Xaviar Babudar, known for his costumed persona 'ChiefsAholic,' was sentenced Monday to additional prison time to be served in Oklahoma, following convictions for a multi-state bank and credit union robbery spree. Babudar was sentenced to 32 years in prison in Tulsa County, after being found guilty of one count of robbery with a firearm, one count of assault while masked or disguised, and one count of removing an electronic monitoring device. Last September, Babudar was sentenced to over 17 years in federal prison in U.S. District Court in Kansas City after pleading guilty to three charges in connection with a string of robberies or attempted robberies of nearly a dozen banks and credit unions across seven states in 2022 and 2023. They include a count of money laundering, a count of transporting stolen property across state lines, and a count of bank robbery. In Oklahoma, Tulsa County District Judge Michelle Keely County issued Babudar's 32-year sentence to run concurrently with his federal sentence, according to a news release from Tulsa County District Attorney Stephen Kunzweiler. The infamous superfan will spend 17 and a half years in federal prison, and then be transferred to Oklahoma to serve his remaining 14 and a half years. 'The violence that Babudar exhibited to the employees of the Tulsa Teacher Credit Union was abhorrent,' Kunzweiler said in the release. 'He is a serial robber who traumatized these victims and numerous other victims across this country.' Babudar, famous for his Chiefs-themed wolf costume reminiscent of the team's mascot K.C. Wolf, became a high-profile figure on social media and was a regular presence at Chiefs games from 2018 through 2021, prior to his arrest on the robbery charges. On December 16, 2022, Babudar robbed the Tulsa Teachers Credit Union in Bixby wearing a mask and armed with a gun, according to the release. He used his firearm, later determined to be a BB gun, to demand that bank employees retrieve money from the safe. Babudar left once he had the money, but was quickly apprehended by Bixby police, the release says. Less than two months after his arrest, Babudar's bond was lowered. He bonded out of jail on Feb. 8, 2023, and was ordered to wear an ankle monitor. Reports show Babudar removed his ankle monitor on March 25, 2023, the release says. Babudar did not appear for a March 27 court date and was apprehended by federal authorities in July 2023 in California. Federal prosecutors have said Babudar stole nearly $850,000 from banks and credit unions during a 16-month stretch, and in many of the robberies, brandished what appeared to be a gun. As part of his plea in his federal case, Babudar admitted to robberies or attempted robberies in Clive, Iowa; Bixby, Oklahoma; Omaha, Nebraska; West Des Moines, Iowa; Nashville, Tennessee; Savage, Minnesota; Apple Valley, Minnesota; Papillion, Nebraska; Sparks, Nevada, and Eldorado Hills, California. The Star's Robert Cronkleton and Nathan Pilling contributed reporting to this story.
Fox News
13-05-2025
- Fox News
Chiefs superfan 'ChiefsAholic' sentenced to 32 years in Oklahoma prison
A Kansas City Chiefs superfan known as "ChiefsAholic" was sentenced Monday in an Oklahoma courtroom to serve 32 years in state prison for robbing a Tulsa-area bank, a sentence that will be carried out after he finishes serving time in federal prison. Xaviar Babudar, 30, appeared in a Tulsa courtroom and apologized to the court and to the victims of the December 2022 robbery of the Tulsa Teachers Credit Union in Bixby, Oklahoma, said Babudar's attorney, Jay-Michael Swab. "He expressed sincere remorse and took full responsibility for his actions," Swab said. Babudar already was serving more than 17 years in federal prison for a string of 11 bank robberies across seven states where he stole nearly $850,000 to finance his social media stardom. Swab said the robberies also were the result of a gambling addiction. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler had sought life in prison for Babudar. "He is a serial robber who traumatized these victims and numerous other victims across this country," Kunzweiler said in a statement. Tulsa County District Judge Michelle Keely ordered Babudar's 32-year sentence to run concurrently to his federal sentence, which means after he is released from federal prison he will be transferred to state custody to serve his remaining 14 years. Babudar developed a following on his @ChiefsAholic account on the social platform X after attending games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs gear. His avid support of the Chiefs became well known on social media. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Washington Post
13-05-2025
- Washington Post
Chiefs superfan who admitted to robbing banks gets state prison sentence
The Kansas City superfan known as 'ChiefsAholic,' who was sentenced last year to a federal prison term after he admitted to having committed multiple bank robberies, was handed an additional sentence Monday by a state court in Oklahoma. Xaviar Babudar, 30, was sentenced to a 32-year term in state prison that will run concurrently with his current federal prison sentence of 17½ years. After he serves out his federal term, for which he won't have the possibility of parole, he will be moved to a state facility to spend 14½ more years.
