Thieves Accused of Bank Heist Make Their Way to Casino with Ill-Gotten Gains
Two Suspects Arrested Hours After Bank Robbery in Arizona
Michael Dino Peraino and Tyler Michael Thayer were apprehended just hours after robbing a Chase Bank in Safford, Arizona on July 10, 2025[1][2]. The robbery took place at the bank, where Peraino approached a teller, handed over a note demanding $10,000, and claimed to have a gun. The teller complied with the demand[1][2].
After fleeing the bank, the robbers drove approximately 61 miles to the Apache Gold Casino Resort, located on the San Carlos Apache Reservation[1][2]. It was here that local police, the FBI, Arizona Department of Public Safety, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs found their minivan. A search of the vehicle uncovered $2,000 and a torn piece of paper matching the robbery demand note[1][2]. Additional cash was found hidden in their clothing and inside a room they had rented at the Best Western hotel attached to the resort.
Officers arrested Peraino and Thayer on the casino floor of the Apache Gold Casino Resort[1][2]. The pair were booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility on charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, and theft[1][2]. They were later transferred to FBI custody and are now detained at the Central Arizona Correctional Facility in Florence, Ariz[2].
On August 15, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Peraino and Thayer in connection with the July 10 robbery[1]. Thayer has already confessed to carrying out the robbery, according to an FBI criminal complaint[1]. Both men are scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 5 in US Magistrate Court in Tucson[2]. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is seeking $10,267.06 in restitution, including any funds spent, hidden, or distributed from the robbery.
[1] Associated Press. (2025, July 11). Two arrested hours after bank robbery in Arizona. Retrieved from https://www.apnews.com/article/b9a9356e5486404eb617d43235834f27
[2] Associated Press. (2025, August 16). Federal grand jury indicts two men in connection with Arizona bank robbery. Retrieved from https://www.apnews.com/article/2e3c3b0384084468a3b976a30303e3d1
- The bank robbers, Tyler Michael Thayer and Michael Dino Peraino, were apprehended following a robbery at a Chase Bank in Safford, Arizona.
- After the bank robbery, the robbers, Peraino and Thayer, were tracked down at the Apache Gold Casino Resort, where they were later arrested.
- The casino-and-gambling scene in Las Vegas was not their destination, but they were found in a casino, specifically the Apache Gold Casino Resort, after the robbery.
- The crime committed by Peraino and Thayer, the bank robbery, has become a matter of general news and crime-and-justice discussions.
- The casino floor of the Apache Gold Casino Resort in Arizona was the location where the police apprehended the bank robbers, Tyler Michael Thayer and Michael Dino Perraino.
- The FBI has indicated that Tyler Michael Thayer has already confessed to his role in the casino-culture scene's recent crime, the bank robbery in Arizona.
