String of West Side bank robberies solved by Dion's pizza order

A hankering for Dion’s pizza proved to be the downfall for an alleged bank robber accused of stealing more than $140,000 from four banks in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.

Daniel Guliford, 39, was charged Tuesday with one count of bank robbery in U.S. District Court in New Mexico. He may face more charges related to several other bank robberies, said a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Mexico.

Guliford allegedly robbed three banks on the West Side and one in Rio Rancho between January 2024 and last week, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.

On Jan. 4, 2024, a man dressed head-to-toe in black garb entered a U.S. Bank on Paseo del Norte and Golf Course with a gun raised, the complaint said. The man — later identified by the FBI as Guliford — approached the teller and told other employees and a customer to lie on the floor, witnesses said.

According to the complaint, Guliford took approximately $9,250 from two tellers and left on foot.

A teller later observed a handwritten sign that read “Closed until 12:00” stuck on the front door. The teller removed the sign and told investigators that no staff member had placed it there. Investigators later lifted fingerprints from the sign that matched Guliford’s, according to court documents.

Guliford allegedly returned to that same bank months later, on March 21, when he forced a teller to open the vault and stole $26,650, according to the complaint. Witnesses told investigators that as the robber left the building, a teller watched him get in a 2000s-era black BMW with silver rims and no license plate.

In May, the teller, who was present at both robberies, saw what he believed to be the same car in the parking lot of the Dion’s restaurant on Montaño. The teller took a picture that showed the license plate and tipped off federal investigators.

Security footage from Dion’s showed a black BMW in the drive-thru. Dion’s gave the FBI a copy of a receipt from that day with Guliford’s name listed.

Both the bank and the Dion’s are less than 4 miles from Guliford’s home, according to the complaint. It is unclear what immediate actions were taken by the FBI after receiving that information.

Guliford, according to the FBI, would go on to rob three more banks before being apprehended.

In July 2024, days apart, Guliford allegedly stole $1,500 and $72,043 from the Bank of Albuquerque and New Mexico Bank and Trust in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, respectively, according to the complaint.

A year later to the day, investigators say Guliford stole $31,261 from a First Financial Credit Union on Montaño and Coors. That bank is catercorner to the Dion’s where Guliford was previously recognized.

Guliford’s detention hearing was scheduled for Friday.