By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – Two men accused of robbing the Chase Bank on July 10 have been released into the custody of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Michael Dino Perino, 64, and Tyler Michael Thayer, 31, were taken into custody by the San Carlos Apache Police Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety, and Bureau of Indian Affairs after they were located at the Apache Gold Casino just east of Globe on the San Carlos Apache Reservation.
The men were arrested in conjunction with the armed robbery of the Chase Bank in Safford on July 10. Perino allegedly handed a note to a teller shortly after noon, demanding money and advising he was armed. Perino then left the bank with reportedly about $10,000 and fled in a maroon van with Thayer.
The men were arrested later the same day, at approximately 5:15 p.m., on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. They were both booked into the Graham County Adult Detention Facility on charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, and theft. They were later released into the custody of the FBI on July 14.
While the FBI investigates bank robberies as they have primary jurisdiction over cases involving federally-insured banks, it usually focuses on more serious cases involving violence, those with a significant financial loss, serial robbers, or cases that cross jurisdictional boundaries.
However, according to Kevin Smith with the FBI Phoenix Public Affairs and Media Relations, the FBI took custody of the defendants to charge them federally, and they are currently being held at the Central Arizona Correctional Facility in Florence.
“It is quite normal for us to work with our local partners on bank robberies since most of the subjects face federal charges because the banks are federally insured,” Smith told the Gila Herald.
The FBI’s investigation is ongoing.
