Federal prosecutors are releasing details about a string of bank robberies allegedly committed by Xaviar Babudar. He is known to Kansas City Chiefs fans as “ChiefsAholic” on social media.
The NFL community was shocked when they learned that the Chiefs superfan had been arrested. Babudar was typically seen dressed as a wolf at every Chiefs game. Many were surprised to hear he was, allegedly, involved in criminal activity.
Investigators claim Babudar would rob banks across the Midwest and then launder the money through casinos in other states, and Illinois just so happened to be one of the many stops on his crime spree.
Investigators: Chiefs superfan laundered money at Western Illinois casino
Xaviar Michael Babudar, 28, was arrested in Lincoln, CA, north of Sacramento. He faces multiple charges in relation to his alleged crimes, including trying to launder money at an Illinois casino.
Argosy Casino Alton is located on the western side of The Prairie State, about 25 miles from St. Louis, MO. Investigators say Babudar made a stop there not too long after he allegedly robbed a bank in Nashville.
The incident happened on Nov. 17, 2022, at a Tennessee Federal Credit Union. According to court documents, bank employees reported that the suspect climbed over the bank counter before flashing a gun and pressing it against the teller’s body.
Babudar allegedly demanded that the employees take him to the vault before threatening that he could “come back and put a hole” in their heads if the cash included a dye pack. The suspect ran away before police arrived. Over $125,000 was reportedly stolen in the heist.
Court documents show Babudar went to several casinos following the robbery in Nashville between November and December in 2022. Investigators say that he redeemed a total of $77,400 at Argosy Casino Alton and Harrah’s Casino in North Kansas City, Missouri.
It is unclear exactly how much money he redeemed in Alton, specifically. However, it was not the only time he traveled to Illinois during his crime wave.
FBI: Babudar bought over $1 million in chips from various casinos
Babudar is accused of eight bank robberies, or attempted robberies, in five states. He was charged last fall with robbing a bank in Tulsa, OK. He was released on bond in February 2023, just four days before the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. However, investigators say in late March, he removed his ankle monitor and disappeared. He had been on the run for around four months before he was taken into custody in California.
Following Babudar’s initial arrest in Oklahoma, FBI agents reviewed bank records, casino transactions and other financial reporting. They found reason to believe that Babudar was involved in four additional bank robberies across the Midwest between April and December of 2022, including in Nebraska, Iowa, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Authorities also believe he tried to rob two additional credit unions in Minnesota.
Furthermore, the FBI claims that Babudar purchased and redeemed over $1 million in chips from various casinos in Illinois, Missouri and Kansas during that same nine-month time frame as the robberies. This case will be presented to a federal grand jury to determine whether to return an indictment on these charges.