Xavier Michael Babudar, also known as the ‘ChiefsAholic’, was arrested on Friday in Lincoln, California, near Sacramento.
The 29-year-old super fan of the Kansas City Chiefs saw his troubles begin when he was arrested in December 2022 in connection with a robbery at Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union in Oklahoma. Authorities believed he stole $150,250. He was released on bond in February.
He asked authorities to allow him to attend Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona on Feb. 12 after the Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game, but his request was denied. Babudar allegedly removed his ankle monitor in March and was on the run until he was captured.
Life of Crime
According to court documents, it was determined that Babudar purchased over $1 million in chips from casinos in Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas between April and December 2022, and redeemed a similar amount from those same casinos.
Following his December arrest in connection with the Tulsa robbery, authorities reviewed bank and casino transactions to assess the extent of his potential crime streak. They were also prompted to look into unsolved bank robberies over that same time frame.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office found that Babudar traveled to various locations throughout the Midwestern part of the United States to execute a string of robberies at various banks and credit unions before returning home to the Kansas City metropolitan area. He then would launder the robbery earnings through area casinos and deposit these proceeds in his various bank accounts, authorities say.
More Crimes
In addition to Babudar’s bank robbery charges in Oklahoma, the affidavit connected him to four other robberies in Nebraska, Iowa, Tennessee, and two attempted robberies of Minnesota credit unions.
One new bank robbery charge has been added to Babudar’s docket.
According to the complaint filed against him, Babudar is accused of stealing $70,000 from Great Western Bank in Clive, Oklahoma, on March 2, 2022. The complaint also stated he drove the money across state lines from Iowa to Missouri. The criminal complaint was filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City on May 24 but was unsealed after he was arrested in California on Friday.
An investigation determined his cellphone was in the same cities and locations at the time of these incidents. He was also arrested with the same masks and gloves used in other robberies on Friday.
Babudar was charged with one count of bank theft and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines in connection with last year’s robbery in Oklahoma. He was scheduled to appear in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento on Monday afternoon. It’s not clear on whether Babudar had an attorney to represent him.
