Chiefs superfan who pleaded guilty to robberies gets sentencing delay. Here’s why
This week’s sentencing hearing for Xaviar Babudar, the disgraced Kansas City Chiefs superfan “ChiefsAholic,” has been rescheduled to September, according to court documents.
Babudar pleaded guilty in February in U.S. District Court in Kansas City to three charges in connection with a string of robberies or attempted robberies at banks and credit unions across seven states in 2022 and 2023.
Babudar’s attorney, Matthew T. Merryman, filed a motion in late June requesting the sentencing be rescheduled because he had a first-degree murder trial in Clay County that was set to begin June 24. Also, a report used to help determine the appropriate sentence had not been filed, Merryman said in the filing.
Merryman said he anticipated needing additional time to prepare, review and finalize a sentencing memorandum and to prepare for the sentencing hearing.
U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs granted the motion, which was unopposed. Babudar’s sentencing was rescheduled for Sept. 5 at 9:30 a.m.
Babudar faces up to 20 years in prison for money laundering, up to 10 years for transporting stolen property across state lines and up to 20 years for bank robbery. He also faces a total fine of up to $1 million and must pay restitution.
Charges against Babudar, his plea deal
Babudar, who turned 30 last week, pleaded guilty in late February to one count of money laundering, one count of transporting stolen property across state lines and one count of bank robbery, according to court documents.
The plea involved two federal cases, a single-count indictment out of the Northern District of Oklahoma and a 12-count indictment in the Western District of Missouri. As part of a plea agreement, Babudar consented to have the disposition of the Oklahoma case take place in federal court in Kansas City.
Prosecutors had alleged that Babudar traveled to various locations and committed a string of robberies at banks and credit unions. He then returned home to the Kansas City area and allegedly laundered the stolen money through area casinos and deposited the proceeds into his bank accounts.
As part of the plea, Babudar must pay at least $532,675 in restitution and surrender an autographed painting of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, which was recovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Babudar admitted to robbing the Great Western Bank in Clive, Iowa, in March 2022, and the TTCU Federal Credit Union in Bixby, Oklahoma, in December 2022. Babudar was originally arrested shortly after the TTCU robbery and released on bond. He cut off an ankle monitor in March and was eventually arrested in California in July 2023.
Babudar, who would dress in a wolf costume and appear on social media and at Chiefs games, also admitted to nine additional robberies and attempted robberies of banks and credit unions, including two after he cut off his ankle monitor last year, according to the plea.
This story was originally published July 8, 2024 at 9:15 AM.
