Investigators say the 2021 armed robbery unraveled when the suspect abandoned heavy bags of cash and left DNA behind.
DENVER — A former standout wide receiver was released from an Arapahoe County jail after serving less than a year for a 2021 robbery that targeted a cash transport tied to Colorado’s marijuana industry, authorities said. The holdup involved about $1.22 million in cash and ended when the robber ditched two trash bags full of money and fled on foot, deputies said.
The case matters now because the defendant, Devin Aguilar, 35, is back in the community under a nine-year probation term after pleading guilty to felony theft and aggravated robbery. Investigators call the crime an “inside job” aided by a company employee. Prosecutors asked for a much longer sentence. The judge imposed one year in jail, which Aguilar completed in under seven months, plus probation. Victims and company officials say the punishment fell short and describe lingering trauma and financial risk to the cash-handling business.
According to investigative records and interviews, the robbery happened Dec. 1, 2021, at a secure garage of an Arapahoe County business that transports and stores cash for marijuana dispensaries. Investigators say a van driver arrived with $1,224,785.37. A masked gunman, dressed in black and wearing gloves, slipped in behind the van and confronted the driver at gunpoint. He ordered her to fill two large black plastic trash bags with bundled currency and, at one point, cocked the pistol, according to the driver’s account. “It was orchestrated perfectly. He knew exactly what he was doing,” Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brett Cohn said in an interview. Within minutes the gunman ran from the building carrying both bags.
Deputies say the getaway collapsed less than a half-mile away. The robber “couldn’t carry the money. It was too heavy,” Cohn said. Responding units found both bags abandoned under a tree roughly 700 yards from the business. Inside one bag, detectives discovered the gloves the gunman had worn. A laboratory analysis yielded a DNA profile that matched Aguilar, whose information was in a law enforcement database from an unrelated Adams County case, investigators said. Detectives followed digital trails and phone records to a lead teller at the cash transport company, Fawn Huya, 54. In interviews, Huya admitted to a personal relationship with Aguilar. On her phone, investigators say they found videos of the workspace and sketches describing the robbery plan. Huya ultimately pleaded guilty to armed robbery and received six months in jail and six years of probation.
Prosecutors pressed for a 15- to 20-year sentence for Aguilar, citing the use of a firearm and the amount of money involved. At a sentencing hearing, Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Desits argued the defendant should not return to the community, according to transcripts. The case was assigned to Arapahoe County District Court Judge Joseph Whitfield, who imposed a one-year jail term followed by nine years of probation. Messages left for the judge’s chambers seeking comment were not returned. In written statements, a senior communications official for the cash-handling company called the outcome “disappointing” and described the judge as “soft on crime.” The driver who was held at gunpoint reported panic attacks, daily anxiety and new home security measures, writing that the sentence was “not adequate.” Aguilar declined interview requests. In court, defense attorney Stephen McCrohan said his client was embarrassed and accepted responsibility; Aguilar told the judge he was “ready for another opportunity.”
Aguilar grew up in Colorado and starred at Mullen High School before playing wide receiver for the University of Washington from 2008 to 2011. He briefly spent time with the Tennessee Titans in 2012. Investigators say he planned the robbery for months with inside help and tracked the cash van into the garage on the night of the crime. The marijuana industry’s reliance on cash because of banking limits makes such couriers attractive targets, law enforcement officials have said in prior cases. In this incident, no shots were fired, no employees were struck, and all of the seized currency was recovered by deputies after the suspect dropped the bags and escaped, according to investigative summaries. Detectives later identified Aguilar as the gunman through DNA and corroborating evidence pulled from phones and surveillance footage.
The legal posture is largely set. Aguilar pleaded guilty to felony theft and aggravated robbery and completed a county jail sentence of under seven months in 2024; his nine-year probation remains in effect. Huya served six months in jail and remains on probation for six years. Prosecutors are not appealing the sentence. Authorities say there are no outstanding suspects in the 2021 holdup. Officials did not disclose the precise address of the cash facility, citing security. Any future hearings would center on probation compliance; violations could trigger prison time. Victim restitution was not at issue because the cash was recovered at the scene, investigators said.
Outside the courthouse, reactions were split. Sheriff’s investigators voiced frustration with the sentence and said victims “did not get the justice” they sought. Company officials said they were “disappointed but not surprised,” arguing that soft outcomes can embolden criminals. Defense statements portrayed Aguilar as remorseful and focused on rebuilding his life. Former teammates contacted by local reporters said they were unaware of the case until news stories surfaced this fall. Neighbors near the industrial corridor where the robbery unfolded described hearing sirens the night of the incident and later seeing cruisers sweeping side streets and drainage areas as deputies searched for the suspect who fled on foot.
As of Sunday, Aguilar is on supervised probation in Arapahoe County. Investigators say the case is closed, with the next milestone being routine probation check-ins and any compliance reports due in coming months.
Author note: Last updated November 9, 2025.