KC superfan ‘ChiefsAholic,’ accused of robbing Midwest banks, appears in federal court
The wolf-costume-wearing Kansas City Chiefs superfan widely known as “ChiefsAholic” will continue to be held without bond as he stands accused of a spree of Midwest bank robberies and flight from felony prosecution.
Xaviar M. Babudar, 29, of Overland Park, made his initial appearance in shackles and a yellow jumpsuit in Kansas City’s downtown federal courthouse on Friday afternoon. Magistrate Judge Brian Gaddy scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case for Wednesday.
Last month, a federal judge in California ordered Babudar to remain in custody before trial following his arrest there. Prosecutors in the Western District of Missouri have also filed a motion supporting pretrial detention as Babudar currently faces two felony charges of bank theft and interstate transportation of stolen property.
Prosecutors also allege the FBI has uncovered evidence linking Babudar to a five-state spree of strong-arm robberies at banks and credit unions over the course of nine months.
An internet famous superfan known to brag about high-dollar bets on Kansas City sporting events, Babudar’s disappearance from Chiefs games was noticed by social media followers of his since-deleted Twitter account @ChiefsAholic.
It was during that time that Babudar was arrested after the failed robbery of the Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union in Bixby, Oklahoma. On Dec. 16, a masked man entered with what appeared to be a handgun, jumped on the counter and demanded a bank employee open the vault or be shot. The robber fled on a bicycle, according to the FBI, before his apprehension by local authorities. Babudar allegedly had in his possession more than $150,000 in cash and a BB gun.
Three miles away, a car parked in the lot of a Tulsa gym was identified by authorities as one registered to Babudar. A search warrant yielded betting slips and bank paperwork in Babudar’s name with deposit memos in the tens of thousands of dollars.
After Babudar’s arrest, FBI investigators connected his cellphone location to historical data from cell towers near the scenes of unsolved robberies at four banks in Nebraska, Iowa and Tennessee, and the attempted robberies of two credit unions in Minnesota.
The federal charges Babudar currently faces are related to $70,000 stolen from Great Western Bank in Clive, Iowa, on March 2, 2022.
Bank employees told police that the robber came into the bank wearing a ski mask and appeared to be armed. He handed the teller a note demanding money. Later, police found nearly $1,200 in $20 bills in the woods, along with a glove they connected to Babudar, according to an affidavit prepared by an FBI agent.
Over the next six weeks, Babudar deposited the same amount that was stolen into his money market savings account and made multiple casino chip purchases and redemption at the Argosy Casino in Riverside, Missouri, according to the affidavit.
Authorities allege Babudar has laundered proceeds from bank robberies through Midwestern casinos, including in Kansas City. FBI forensic accountants found $1.1 million in casino chips exchanged by Babudar.
Babudar was released in February on bond pending trial in his Oklahoma case. But for four months, authorities say Babudar was on the lam after cutting off the GPS anklet he was supposed to wear and leaving the area without permission. The device was found in a wooded area of Tulsa.
When he failed to appear at his arraignment, a warrant was issued for his arrest. In June, he was placed on the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers’ “Most Wanted” list.
Babudar was arrested in the Sacramento, California, area July 7.
In a motion Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Daly called for Babudar to be held in federal custody without bail until his trial. He wrote Babudar has clearly displayed his risk of flight through his four months on the run, and said Babudar has apparently lived a “nomadic existence” having no fixed address to call home.
Daly said federal authorities are investigating whether Babudar “committed any additional bank robberies” since going on the run in February.
The Star’s Anna Spoerre and Robert A. Cronkleton contributed to this report.
