Chiefs superfan suspected in bank robberies across US arrested in Placer County
A rabid Kansas City Chiefs fan known on Twitter as "ChiefsAholic" is accused of robbing a bank in Iowa, and federal authorities suspect he's responsible for bank and credit union robberies throughout the central U.S.
Federal prosecutors on Monday announced that 28-year-old Xaviar Michael Babudar of Overland Park, Kansas, was charged with one count of bank theft and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines. It wasn't immediately clear if Babudar had an attorney.
Babudar had a strong following on social media and often wore a full-body wolf costume to games. His Twitter handle has been taken down.
He was charged in December with robbing a credit union in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was released on bond in February but prosecutors said he removed an ankle monitor and fled until his arrest Friday near Sacramento, California.
An affidavit accuses Babudar of a robbery that netted nearly $70,000 from the Great Western Bank in Clive, Iowa, in March 2022. He's suspected in many other robberies and could face additional charges, prosecutors said.
The affidavit said Babudar traveled the Midwest and robbed banks and credit unions in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and Tennessee, laundering the robbery proceeds through casinos and bank accounts. He's also suspected in two attempted credit union robberies in Minnesota.
An FBI investigation determined that Babudar purchased and redeemed more than $1 million in chips at casinos in Missouri, Kansas and Illinois between April 2022 and December 2022, the affidavit said.
