NFL superfan who allegedly robbed bank wearing wolf costume is on the run
Xavier Babudar missed a court hearing on Monday
Xavier Babudar, a Kansas City Chiefs superfan known as Chiefsaholic, is at large after missing a court hearing on Monday on charges related to a bank robbery in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Mr Babudar, who gained notoriety for dressing up for Chiefs games in a wolf costume and placing large bets on football games, was released from jail on an $80,000 bond last month. He was due to appear in court on Monday, but never showed up — and his lawyer toldThe New York Times that he has no clue where his client is.
“I don’t know anything about it,” Tracy Tiernan, the lawyer, said. “I reached out to him and have not had a response.”
Mr Babudar was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring device upon his release from jail, but the device was reportedly tracked down in a wooded area near an Academy Sports + Outdoors store location in southern Tulsa. The strap had been cut off.
Michael Lloyd, the bondsman who paid Mr Babudar’s bond in part because he too is a Chiefs fan, said a tamper alert went off on Saturday evening — at which point Mr Lloyd went to Mr Babudar’s hotel. He found Mr Babudar’s hotel room empty.
Even though he lives in the Kansas City area, Mr Badudar has been ordered to remain in Tulsa as a condition of his release on bond. It is not at all clear if he is still there, or exactly where the Chiefs celebrity might be as of Tuesday.
Mr Babudar, 28, maintained an active public presence prior to his arrest, attending Chiefs games both home and away, attending a charity gala hosted by Patrick Mahomes, and placing extravagent bets. Mr Babudar said on Twitter that he funded his lifestyle by managing a number of warehouses in the Midwest.
That story, however, came into question after he was arrested in Tulsa on a Friday morning in December for allegedly attempting to rob a credit union at gunpoint. The Chiefs played in Houston that Sunday, and Mr Babudar had said on Twitter that he would be attending the game.
Mr Babudar was arrested shortly thereafter, allegedly carrying a weapon and a large amount of cash, and jailed.
Mr Tiernan filed a motion to allow to Mr Babudar to travel to Arizona for a “family trip” over the weekend of the Super Bowl, but a judge never heard the motion and Mr Babudar was not allowed to travel.
Mr Babudar did, however, post betting slips on social media suggesting that he placed bets on Chiefs success in the game that won him some $100,000. According to the Times, the bets were placed in Kansas and winnings must be collected in person.