Robbery of Washington State Casino Winner Leads to Couple’s Arrest

13 September 2024

A man and a woman were captured recently for last month's robbery plan targeting an unsuspecting winner at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort. 

The potential victim won $1,000 at the Auburn, Wash. gambling establishment on August 30. He received the payment in cash and crammed the bills into his wallet. 

Around 3:16 a.m., he was returning to his car parked in a garage when a woman came up to him and began flirting. 

Out of nowhere, a man emerged and brandished a tire iron, demanding that the victim surrender his wallet, as reported by the Auburn Reporter. 

Acting swiftly, the victim managed to grab a hammer located in his nearby truck. 

As the altercation intensified, the male suspect discarded the tire iron and drew a knife. The victim, feeling threatened, handed over his wallet. 

The two suspects hurriedly escaped in a vehicle. The victim did not sustain any injuries. 

Authorities managed to recognize the suspects since they displayed IDs that were scanned by the casino personnel at the entrance. A security camera in the garage captured an image of the license plate on the couple’s escape vehicle. 

The duo had followed the man across the gaming floor after his victory, and the woman’s flirtation seemed to be integral to the robbery plan. 

Earlier this month, the suspects, Tahiri C. Ponce, 31, from Winlock, Wash., and Arturo Alejandro Perez-Nava, 32, from Elma, Wash., were charged with first-degree robbery by officers. 

They were detained at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, on September 6. It was uncertain whether they intended to launch a comparable plan at that casino. 

Both stayed in detention as of earlier this week. Ponce's bail was established at $25,000. Perez-Nava’s bail was established at $250,000. According to police, Ponce admitted her involvement in the robbery at the Muckleshoot casino. 

The casino can be found roughly 30 miles south of Seattle. 

 

Previous Charges 

A records examination by local law enforcement showed that Ponce was recently found guilty of burglary and theft, and has a pending assault case. A report from KIRO, a TV station in Washington, mentioned that Perez-Nava has a pending case involving burglary and theft. 

Those convictions and possible convictions might result in longer prison sentences for both defendants.