Addicted NFL Gambler 'ChiefsAholic' Gets Prison For Bank Robberies
A prominent sports bettor with an “uncontrollable gambling addiction” received a lengthy prison sentence in September 2024 for a string of bank robberies to fund his betting.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a man popularly known as Kansas City Chiefs superfan “ChiefsAholic” was sentenced in federal court on charges related to a string of 11 robberies, or attempted robberies, in which he stole $847,725 in seven states.
The bettor was Xaviar Michael Babudar.
“While parading as a social media celebrity, the defendant secretly engaged in a violent crime spree of armed robberies and attempted robberies across seven states,” said U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore. “Babudar’s robbery spree bankrolled the expensive tickets and travel across the country to attend Kansas City Chiefs games while he cultivated a large fan base online.”
Babudar, 30, was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Babudar to pay $532,675 in restitution. Some of the stolen money was recovered. In a civil case, he was ordered to pay $10.8 million to a bank teller.
In February 2024, Babudar pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering and transporting stolen property across state lines. He also pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.
Babudar, who was unhoused around the Kansas City metro area, had a large social media presence as Twitter user @ChiefsAholic, attending games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs clothing.
A Devastating Gambling Addiction
Babudar laundered much of the stolen money through area casinos and online sports betting.
When Babudar was arrested shortly after one robbery, he had a large bag that contained $150,250 in cash. When investigators searched his car, they found a Barstool Sportsbook betslip for $20,000 and a FanDuel betslip for $4,000.
Online sports gambling apps are designed to be addictive, and online marketing from the industry misleads and preys upon people, according to a 2024 British study.
Babudar had also placed two bets at the Argosy Casino in Illinois, the government said.
In mid-2022, Babudar bet $5,000 that Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes would win the Most Valuable Player at Super Bowl LVII, which would pay out $45,000 should that occur. Babudar also bet $5,000 that the Chiefs would win Super Bowl LVII, paying out $55,000.
When the Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 2023, and Mahomes won the MVP award, Babudar won $100,000. Argosy Casino mailed Babudar a $100,000 check.
Those wagers were just a few of many he placed over the years.
Babudar’s attorney wrote in a sentencing memorandum that his client had suffered a years-long gambling addiction. “Eventually, Xaviar’s luck ran out and the addiction of gambling became uncontrollable,” the defense attorney wrote in a court document seeking a 10-year sentence.
Babudar previously had some success with sports betting.
Roughly two-thirds of NFL bettors report losing more than they intended. While Babudar’s case is an extreme example of gambling addiction, he’s one of many millions of people addicted to sports betting, particularly the NFL. Theft is a common sign of a gambling addiction.
For the 2024 season, Americans were projected to lose billions of dollars wagering on the NFL.
Babudar’s sentencing came just a couple of weeks after an accountant in Pennsylvania was sentenced to prison for stealing $1.5 million to fund his sports gambling.
There are seemingly endless cases of gamblers going to prison due to addiction, with even some high-profile sports icons falling into legal trouble because of the addiction.
Image via Jim Walker/Twitter