Arizona Mazatzal Casino Heist: Two Employees Charged with Armed Robbery at Their Own Casino Now in Federal Custody

Two Mazatzal Casino workers in Arizona who moved in on the cage of their own employers on July 17 shortly after midnight, brandishing firearms and shooting multiple rounds, are now in federal custody. Miraculously, no one was hurt in the attack.

Men in Black

The two men alleged to be involved were tracked down and arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Of the $650,000 taken, according to federal court records, some $480,000 has now been recovered, with no word on the status of the remaining dough.

FBI agents arrested 31-year-old Ryan Pearson and 32-year old Armando Ochoa this week for their alleged roles in the robbery. Officials say the pair fired several rounds from their weapons as they tried to intimidate casino employees — their own co-workers — into handing over cash.

Both men have been charged with Hobbs Act Robbery and Use of a Weapon in a Crime
of Violence. “Hobbs Act” refers to a 1946-enacted federal anti-extortion statute that was originally designed to give federal authorities the maximum authority under the Commerce Clause.

Details Left Out

Other than revealing that they’re employed by the casino, investigators have said nothing about the men or what their jobs were at Mazatzal, which is located on the Tonto Apache Indian reservation near Payson.

No mugshots of the men have been published, although the FBI did release surveillance footage of the pair entering the casino, guns in hand and their faces masked.

Despite taking place on an Indian reservation, the trial will be held in federal court.