A Kansas City Chiefs superfan who pleaded guilty in February to charges related to multiple bank robberies was sentenced Thursday to 17½ years in federal prison without parole.
By Des Bieler
In his deal with prosecutors earlier this year, Babudar admitted to robberies or attempted robberies of 11 financial institutions across seven states that allegedly netted him almost $850,000. He pleaded guilty then to one count of bank robbery, one count of money laundering and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines.
Babudar’s sentencing, originally scheduled for July 10, was postponed (via the Kansas City Star) because his attorney had a scheduling conflict and told a federal court he needed more time to prepare for his client’s case. The hearing Thursday in Kansas City arrived on the same day that Babudar’s beloved Chiefs were set to kick off the 2024 NFL season with a nationally televised home game against the Baltimore Ravens.
In a statement Thursday, U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said Babudar’s crimes “bankrolled the expensive tickets and travel across the country to attend Kansas City Chiefs games while he cultivated a large fan base online.”
A resident of the Kansas City area who became a noticeable figure at home games in Arrowhead Stadium, Babudar took his “ChiefsAholic” persona on the road to high-profile events involving the team, including Super Bowls in Miami and Tampa. He also reportedly attracted tens of thousands of followers on a since-deleted account on X.
“While parading as a social media celebrity,” Moore said, “[Babudar] secretly engaged in a violent crime spree of armed robberies and attempted robberies. … The bank and credit union employees whom he terrorized at gunpoint suffered the brunt of his true nature.”
In a civil action in April, an Oklahoma judge ordered Babudar to pay $10.8 million to a bank teller whom he was accused of assaulting with a gun. The teller’s attorney acknowledged then (via the Associated Press) that it would be difficult to collect the sum but that the judgment could make it hard for Babudar to eventually “profit” from his notoriety. Babudar was ordered on Thursday to pay $532,675 in restitution to the financial institutions, including credit unions, that he victimized.
Federal authorities said Babudar laundered much of his stolen cash at casinos, where he bought and redeemed chips, and through online gambling.
At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, his attorney said (via ESPN) that Babudar’s crime spree was driven by a gambling addiction. Prosecutors reportedly disagreed and asserted that his addiction was instead both to the Chiefs and “to fame.”
