A Kansas City Chiefs fan, Chiefsaholic, walks toward Empower Field at Mile High before an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the Chiefs on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022, in Denver.
Xaviar Babudar, popularly known as Chiefsaholic, has been sentenced more than 17 years in prison without parole for committing a series of bank robberies across the country.
NBC affiliate KSHB 41 Kansas City reported that Babudar's sentencing came Thursday morning in a Kansas City federal courthouse. Prosecutors were seeking a 20-year sentence, while Babudar's lawyers were pushing for 10 years.
At the conclusion of his sentence, Babudar will face three years of supervised release. Additionally, Babudar is required to pay $532,455 in restitution and property gained as a result of his crimes.
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Babudar, a Chiefs superfan who gained popularity for wearing a gray wolf suit at Chiefs games, was first arrested in December 2022 after an armed robbery. He was released on bond in February 2023, cut off his GPS monitor and went on to rob more banks before being arrested again in July 2023.
Babudar entered a plea deal in February in which he admitted to stealing more than $800,000 in 11 bank robberies across seven states and laundering the stolen money at casinos.
Prosecutors said Babudar, 30, was able to attend Chiefs games through his bank robberies, according to court documents.
Babudar's attorney, Matthew Merryman, said Babudar's gambling addiction drove him to commit the robberies. Patrick Daly, senior litigation counsel at the U.S. Attorney's Office, however, argued that it was Babudar's "addiction to fame," via ESPN.
Thursday's sentencing comes hours before the Chiefs open the 2024 NFL season against the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
