Chiefs superfan/convicted bank robber ChiefsAholic ordered to pay $10.8 million to ex-bank teller
Kansas City Chiefs superfan Xaviar Babudar, a.k.a. ChiefsAholic, already faced a sentencing of up to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to a string of bank robberies. Now he's on the hook for $10.8 million.
An Oklahoma judge ordered Babudar to pay the eight-figure sum to Payton Garcia, a former bank teller whom he threatened with a gun in December 2022, according to ESPN. Babudar reportedly owes $3.6 million for inflicting physical harm and emotional distress and $7.2 million in punitive damages.
Garcia's attorney, Frank Frasier, reportedly acknowledged that it will be difficult to collect such a sum from Babudar, who was unemployed and living in cars at the time of the robberies. Babudar already owed $532,675 in restitution as part of his federal plea agreement. He was also required to forfeit a signed painting of Patrick Mahomes that was recovered by the FBI.
There were other reasons that Frasier pursued the judgment, namely making sure Garcia is in line should Babudar try to profit from stealing more than $800,000 and laundering it through casinos:
"But the point is two things," Frasier told ESPN. "He'll never be able to profit from this. Say he writes a book in prison, say he does the Lifetime or Hallmark movie ... anything he obtains from that will be paid to his creditors.
"The second part overall is this: The judge sent a message that you cannot profit from crime. You cannot profit by greater notoriety, you cannot profit from clicks, getting more views, getting more likes."
Frasier reportedly said that Garcia had to leave her job after the robbery and is still dealing with the trauma of the crime:
"This has affected her children, her marriage," Frasier said. "She'll never be able to go back into work in banking. [It affected] all aspects of her life."
Babudar pleaded guilty in February to one count of money laundering, one count of transporting stolen property across state lines and one count of bank robbery after admitting to 11 bank robberies and attempted robberies.
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 10.
Before his arrest, Babudar amassed a large social media following as a fan of the Chiefs, often attending games in a wolf costume. At the same time, he was reportedly living a nomadic existence around Kansas City and frequently robbing banks at gunpoint in 2022. His DNA was reportedly found on a glove he left at the scene of a crime, which led to his arrest in Oklahoma.
The situation became even more bizarre after Babudar was arrested in December 2022 and released on bond in February 2023. Months earlier, he had placed two bets at an Illinois casino: $5,000 for Patrick Mahomes to win Super Bowl MVP and $5,000 on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl that season. Both happened, leading to the casino mailing him a check for $100,000 in March 2023.
Days later, Babudar reportedly cut his ankle monitor, fled from Oklahoma, used his winnings to buy a vehicle in Nevada and robbed two more banks before being apprehended in Sacramento in July 2023. He is now being held without bond at Leavenworth federal prison in Kansas as he awaits sentencing.
