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It’s been close to two years since we were treated to one of the wilder NFL-adjacent stories in recent memory courtesy of the Kansas City superfan known as “ChiefsAholic,” who will be spending close to two decades in prison after pleading guilty to a string of bank robberies.
A number of NFL franchises have fanatical supporters who’ve managed to become minor celebrities thanks to their devotion to their team, and Xaviar Babudar was able to become a member of that club thanks to the wolf costume he routinely rocked at Arrowhead Stadium while adopting the “ChiefsAholic” moniker.
However, things took a pretty wild turn at the end of 2022 when Babudar was arrested for robbing a bank in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which kicked off a saga that saw him spend months on the lam after cutting off his ankle bracelet before he was tracked down in the summer of 2023.
Earlier this year, Babudar agreed to a plea deal after admitting his guilt in a string of 11 robberies over a 16-month span where he stole more than $800,000 before laundering it by gambling at casinos, and he was ordered to pay more than $500,000 in restitution in addition to forfeiting an autographed painting of Patrick Mahomes the FBI determined he purchased with his ill-gotten gains.
The 30-year-old faced up to 50 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole thanks to the crimes he admitted to committing, so he had plenty of incentive to strike a deal with prosecutors in the hopes of avoiding a fate that resulted in him being freed as an octogenarian.
According to ESPN, that did end up being the case when everything was said and done, but he certainly didn’t get off easy after being sentenced to 17.5 years in prison at a hearing on Thursday.
Babudar’s attorney argued he should only serve 10 years while asserting the spree of robberies was driven by a gambling addiction, but the judge overseeing the case disputed that stance, saying, “It’s not an addiction to gambling. It’s not an addiction to the Chiefs. It’s an addiction to fame.”
Babudar isn’t eligible for parole and will be under supervised release for three more years when his sentence is served.