Kansas City Chiefs superfan Xaviar Babudar will be following the team's quest for a three-peat from a prison cell. That's because Babudar, the primary suspect in a string of bank robberies, was sentenced to 17.5 years without parole on Thursday.
The Chiefs open the season on Thursday night vs. the Baltimore Ravens. Babudar is known as "Chiefsaholic" to those who follow the team. Prosecutors recommended a lengthy sentence.
"As part of a plea agreement, the 30-year-old 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 of nearly a dozen banks and credit unions across seven states in 2022 and 2023," the Kansas City Star reported. "The charges include 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 19-count indictment in the U.S. District Court of 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."
Not all of the robberies occurred in Kansas City, or near the Chiefs' stadium, either.
"Babudar allegedly traveled to various locations and committed a string of robberies at banks and credit unions. In days surrounding some of the robberies, Babudar attended some Chiefs away games," the Star wrote. "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, according to court documents."
The Chiefs are favored to win the Super Bowl yet again by most news outlets and NFL experts.
