September 21, 2024

Kansas City Chiefs superfan ChiefsAholic sentenced to federal prison for bank robbery

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Chiefs superfan is sentenced on the same day the team he loves opens a new season.

A federal judge sentenced Xaviar Babudar, also known as ChiefsAholic, to more than 17-yeras in prison during a hearing Thursday morning.

Babudar pleaded guilty in February to one count of money laundering and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines. Babudar also pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery for robbing a credit union near Tulsa. The charges are linked to 11 bank robberies in seven states.

Court documents show Babudar laundered much of the stolen money through area casinos and online gambling.

Babudar faces up to 50 years in prison when he is sentenced. He is also required to pay $532,000 in restitution and forfeit an autographed painting of Patrick Mahomes.

Babudar was first arrested on Dec. 16, 2022, following a credit union robbery near Tulsa, Okla.

According to court documents, Babudar cut his ankle monitor and escaped as he awaited trial in Oklahoma. The same documents show he disappeared just days after a casino paid him $100,000 in winning Super Bowl bets he made on the Chiefs.

He was on the run for months before his arrest in Sacramento, California in July 2023.

Federal court documents released following Babudar’s arrest in California accuse Babudar of robbing financial institutions throughout 2022 to bankroll his life attending Kansas City Chiefs games and other exclusive events.

Babudar also faces charges in Oklahoma.

How a Lenexa-based security company is helping keep Arrowhead Stadium safe this year

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – This season, security at Arrowhead Stadium will be wearing state-of-the-art body cameras. The 120 cameras were purchased from a local company based in Lenexa, Kansas.

The company, Digital Ally, says it has been working with the Chiefs and staff at Arrowhead Stadium for several years. Along with the new body cameras, two 24-hour docking stations were also purchased.

The body-worn cameras will be used throughout the stadium on gamedays and other events at Arrowhead.

“They reached out to us when we had our first few HD body cameras,” said Greg Johnson, Vice President of Sales and Technical Services. “They were very interested in a body cam solution for their security staff. With us being a local company, we were able to go there right away. This last year, they just upgraded to our one-piece body camera solution. So we have been working with the Chiefs for about 4 year

The body-worn cameras can last 12-15 hours on a single charge. Afterward, they are placed in the docking bays where the captured footage is uploaded while it charges.

READ MORE: What to know ahead of Chiefs’ season-opener
“Our body cameras are one of the few on the marketplace that has a touchable display screen on the back of it, so this becomes important for several reasons,” said Johnson. “The supervisor can pull the body cam off a security person and review an incident right directly from the body camera.”

Some of Digital Ally’s biggest clients are in the area: the Chiefs and the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office. Johnson says the proximity is invaluable.

“The relationship we have with them is great,” said Johnson. “The fact that they do so much for the local community is amazing. I think it was beneficial to them stepping into this marketplace and wanting the best guest experience they can have at Arrowhead Stadium. I think it was important for them that we are a local company. We can test, evaluate, and make a lot of changes for them to meet their needs.”

Of course, everyone going to the stadium wants to have fun; Johnson says it’s important to ensure their safety as well.

“Arrowhead Stadium takes very serious their guest experience and they want a safe Chiefs Sunday and any other event that’s being held at Arrowhead Stadium,” said Johnson. “They want what’s best for their guests and they want to make sure they are capturing all the important information they need.”

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