Former Oklahoma Credit Union Teller Wins $10.8 Million Judgement

A judge awarded a former Tulsa Teacher’s Credit Union (TTCU) teller $10.8 million for physical harm and emotional distress she suffered when the Bixby, Okla., branch was robbed by Xaviar Michael Babudar. He was otherwise known as the Kansas City Chiefs superfan, Chiefsaholic, who also held up six other credit unions and banks to support his nomadic-sports gambling lifestyle.

Tulsa County Oklahoma District Court Judge Tracy L. Priddy granted a judgement last week for Payton N. Garcia in the amount of $1.6 million for loss of pay, $2 million for emotional damages and $7.2 million in punitive damages against Babudar.

Because Babudar never answered Garcia’s lawsuit, Judge Priddy ordered a default judgement.

Through her attorney, Frank W. Frasier of Tulsa, Garcia filed the lawsuit last December, alleging Babudar “used a firearm and during the commission of the crime assaulted and battered her.” Garcia claimed that she suffers from “severe, painful and permanent injuries, which prevent her from transacting her business and force her to spend large sums of money to affect a cure for her injuries.”

In a phone interview with CU Times, Frasier said Babudar put his gun to Garcia’s chest and to her back albeit briefly. While she did not sustain physical injuries, Frasier pointed out that she suffers from mental and emotional stress, which has affected her personal life in several ways, and that she has not returned to work at the $2.5 billion TTCU in Tulsa.

“She is trying to recover, wants to stay out of the limelight, be a mom, be a spouse and kind of do her own thing,” Frasier said.

He acknowledged that the chances are very slim that Garcia will ever receive the $10.8 million in damages. However, Frasier said the lawsuit will prevent Babudar from profiting from his crimes if he writes a book or if he participates in a production of a movie or a television series.

“I’ve been approached by people who say they work for Netflix and I’ve been approached by people who say they work for Amazon,” he said.

Babudar’s attorney did not respond to CU Times‘ request for comment on Wednesday.

According to Bixby Police Department (BPD) reports, credit union employees reported that Babudar entered a TTCU branch on Dec. 16, 2022, armed with a black and silver handgun that later was determined to be a BB gun. He told credit union employees he would shoot them if they did not comply with his orders, according to police. He then jumped the teller counter and ordered employees to the vault and to pack the money into a plastic bag.

After he fled the credit union on a bike, BPD captured Babudar, recovering a white plastic bag containing $150,250, the BB gun, a black mask, reflective ski goggles, a pair of black and yellow gloves, and a grey/green hooded sweatshirt.

The evidence left behind by Baburdar in the TTCU robbery helped lead investigators to solve two other credit union robberies in Iowa and Tennessee, two bank robberies in Iowa and Nebraska, and two attempted credit union robberies in Minnesota allegedly committed by the so-called Chiefsaholic.

Babudar gained popularity as a Kansas City Chiefs superfan. His Twitter handle was @ChiefsAholic, and he wore a full-body wolf costume at home games and traveled to away games.

During a playoff game on Dec. 18, 2022, Kansas City Chiefs fans became concerned that their Chiefsaholic was mysteriously absent and hadn’t posted any new messages on social media. Social media sleuths reportedly found out he was in jail after he robbed the TTCU two days earlier. This news captured national coverage from sports media outlets.

In February, Babudar pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., to one count of money laundering and one count of transporting stolen property across state lines. He also pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery in a separate case filed in the Northern District of Oklahoma.

His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for July.