Kansas City Chiefs superfan arrested for multiple bank robberies. What do we know?
If this sounds like a B-reel heist movie, we forgive you. Following a string of alleged robberies, a Kansas City Chiefs superfan was finally arrested.
With his name being linked to a number of robberies across the country, one Chiefs fan could now be facing several charges and quite some time in prison if convicted. Needless to say, it’s not the kind of PR that the franchise will enjoy.
Xander Babudar arrested in connection with Tulsa robbery
According to reports on Monday, Xander Babudar, a Kansas City Chiefs superfan that allegedly robbed a Tulsa County bank in Oklahoma, was arrested by authorities on Friday near Sacramento, California. The 28-year-old who goes by the handle “ChiefsAholic” on Twitter was detained and charged with one count of bank theft and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines. To be clear both federal charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
“I am thankful for the hard work of the FBI in finding and arresting Xaviar Babudar,” Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said in a statement on Monday. “As Tulsa County was the first jurisdiction to arrest and charge Babudar in December 2022, it is the goal of my office to prosecute him in Tulsa County District Court prior to a federal case. As a fugitive from justice from our jurisdiction after his bond was reduced over our objection, Babudar posed an extreme risk to the public. I am grateful that no other citizen or law enforcement officer was subjected to the violence he demonstrated in Tulsa County, Oklahoma.” Interestingly, an affidavit accuses Babudar of a robbery that took nearly $70,000 from Great Western Bank in Clive, Iowa in March of 2022. Prosecutors have also stated that Babudar is suspected of many other robberies and could face additional charges.
Most Wanted: Xander Babudar is a career criminal
It’s worth noting that Babudar’s name first came to the attention of law enforcement when he was added to the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers most wanted list in connection with his alleged involvement in the robberies, and was even listed as the region’s fifth most wanted fugitive. Indeed, until his arrest on Friday, he had been on the run having removed his ankle monitor and missed his arraignment hearing in Tulsa County back in March. At that time, a $1 million bond warrant was issued. That arraignment was related to his previous arrest on December 16th, 2022 after he allegedly robbed the Tulsa Teachers Credit Union in Bixby, Oklahoma. For that incident, he was facing charges of robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault while masked or disguised. He later pleaded guilty to those charges in February of this year and was released on bond.
What followed was a notification that his bail bondsman, Michael Lloyd, received on March 25th which indicated that Babudar’s ankle monitor had been removed. Naturally, Lloyd then traveled to the Tusla hotel where he knew his client had been residing only to discover that he was long gone. The ankle monitor was later discovered in the woods nearby after which the District Attorney filed an additional charge of removing an electronic monitoring device against Babudar. This brings us to the present, where the latest affidavit states that Babudar traveled the Midwest and robbed banks and credit unions in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa and Tennessee. He is also suspected of two credit union robberies in Minnesota. Further to the robberies themselves, it is also alleged that Babudar would launder the robbery proceeds through casinos and bank accounts. To that end, an FBI investigation has alleged that he purchased and redeemed more than $1 million in chips at casinos in Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois between April 2022 and December 2022.