'ChiefsAholic' arrested in California; accused of bank robberies, money laundering
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs superfan known as "ChiefsAholic," who has been on the run for months, is back in custody and faces new charges.
Xaviar Michael Babudar, 28, was arrested on Friday, in Lincoln, California, north of Sacramento.
Babudar is charged with one count of bank theft and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 24, 2023.
The federal criminal complaint was unsealed and made public Monday following Babudar’s arrest in Lincoln, California on Friday.
Federal court documents allege Babudar robbed the Tulsa Teachers Federal Credit Union on Dec. 16, 2022. Babudar was released on bond in February 2023, and in late March 2023 removed his ankle monitor.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Babudar traveled throughout the Midwest to rob various banks and credit unions.
FBI investigators reviewed bank records, casino transaction records, and sensitive financial reporting to determine the breadth and scope of additional potential criminal activities.
Court documents show Babudar purchased and redeemed more than $1 million in chips from various casinos in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois between April and December 2022.
Investigators also reviewed unsolved bank robberies throughout the Midwest. They determined Babudar’s cell phone was in the same cities and locations for the previously unsolved bank robberies and attempted robberies, according to the affidavit.
The affidavit refers to four bank robberies in Nebraska, Iowa, Tennessee and Oklahoma, and to the attempted robberies of two credit unions in Minnesota.
According to an affidavit, he allegedly laundered the robbery proceeds through area casinos and bank accounts.
Babudar will make his initial court appearance this afternoon in federal court in Sacramento, California.
The case will be presented to a federal grand jury to determine whether to return an indictment on these or any additional charges.