Tuesday, September 3rd 2024, 4:34 pm
Prosecutors and the attorneys for convicted bank robber Xavier Babudar have filed their recommendations for sentencing.
Babudar, who gained a huge following on social media under the name Chiefsaholic, was convicted of robbing several banks including one in Bixby to fund his trips to Kansas City Chiefs football games.
Babudar's attorneys are asking he be sentenced to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors are asking for double, recommending 20 years in prison.
Babudar will be sentenced on Thursday.
Story Timeline: Kansas City Superfan Chiefsaholic Accused Of Robbing Tulsa Bank
Babudar gained online fame for dressing as a wolf and attending many Kansas City Chiefs games in 2022 before his arrest. He famously dressed in a wolf costume.
In Dec. 2022, Bixby Police arrested and accused Babudar of robbing the Tulsa Teachers Credit Union near 131st and Memorial. Police said he was found with a weapon and a large amount of cash on him.
He appeared in February of 2023 when a judge decided to lower his bond from $250,000 to $80,000. His attorney originally asked for it to be lowered to $50,000.
Prosecutors at the hearing said they did not want Babudar's bond lowered because they said he pointed a pistol in the face of the bank employee and demanded $150,000 or he'd put a bullet in the employee's head. They said the employee didn’t know it was a CO2 pistol and that Babudar was a flight risk since he had no ties to Tulsa.
"What about us as the victims?” Payton Garcia told News On 6, who was robbed at gunpoint by Babudar. “Why are we not considered when they're making these decisions to reduce his bond and then him putting in the motion to leave the state, it just goes to show that he doesn't care about what he did."
By the 2023 Super Bowl where the Chiefs played the Eagles, Babudar was out on bond. In March, prosecutors said he failed to show up for his court appearance. A $1 million bond warrant was issued for his arrest.
He was not in custody until the FBI arrested him in California in July 2023. They connected Babudar to eight bank robberies across the country spanning five different states.
In August, federal prosecutors requested new evidence be added to Babudar's case. They said that evidence included a photo of a bank robbery in El Dorado Hills, California, and a surveillance photo of a bank robbery in Nevada.
He was transferred back to Missouri where in August he waived his right to a preliminary hearing and fired his public defender.
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