Ex NFL-er released from jail after fumbling $1.2 million cash heist in 2021: report
They didn’t have this event at the NFL Combine.
A former pro football player’s plot to rob $1.2 million in marijuana profits three years ago went awry when he discovered the bags full of stolen cash were too heavy to carry — so he chucked them in the Colorado woods and ran away.
But Devin Aguilar — a former college standout who briefly played for the Tennessee Titans more than a decade ago — made another big mistake during the previously unreported December 2021 heist: He forgot his gloves in one of the money bags, which CBS News said was later found by the cops.
Arapahoe County authorities pulled the 35-year-old’s DNA from the black-and-blue gloves, then matched it to Aguilar, who was already in the system because of an earlier burglary.
And that’s how Aguilar, once a star wide receiver for the University of Washington Huskies, earned himself about a year in Arapahoe County Jail — and he was just released last month, CBS reported.
Police investigators say his botched cash grab — which was recorded by at least six surveillance cameras — was like something out of Hollywood.
“It was orchestrated perfectly. He knew exactly what he was doing,” Arapahoe County Sheriff Investigations Sgt. Brett Cohn told the news station. “Every square inch of his body was covered, and black.”
But that doesn’t mean it was the perfect crime, the officer added.
In fact, it was an inside job — Aguilar had been dating Fawn Huya, a 54-year-old teller at the cash transport service he planned to knock over.
Huya told investigators that she had no idea her gridiron beau planned to rob the place, but cops later found plans and sketches on her phone that detailed Aguilar’s plans, and say Huya used her phone to record the firms’ business to help him out.
On the day of the crime — Dec. 1, 2021 — the washed-up athlete dressed in black from head to toe, pulled out his pistol and snuck up on a transport van driver, who was pulling into the company garage with $1,224,785 from marijuana businesses throughout the state, CBS said.
The driver had no clue she was being tailed as she pulled into the holding facility — until Aguilar sprang up on her.
He got her out of the van, then held her at gunpoint as she filled the big trash bags with cash.
Within minutes, the job was done. The former pro slung the bags over his shoulder like Santa Claus and took off out the garage’s overhead door.
“They had planned this for six months — they even knew the exact day to hit when the most amount of money was going to be coming in,” Cohn said.
But there was one problem, Cohn said. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound former wide receiver couldn’t carry all that money.
“It was too heavy for him,” Cohn said. “They didn’t calculate the weight.”
The driver called 911, and Arapahoe County deputies eventually found the two bags of money sitting under a tree about seven football fields from where Aguilar took them.
But even though the fumbling felon had fled, he left his gloves — which later helped cops nab him.
“Extremely dumb,” Cohn said. “You can plan meticulously for six months, but there were clearly mistakes made.”
Aguilar’s partner-in-crime eventually turned on him during the investigation.
“You left your gloves, dumb—s,” Huya said in a recorded phone she made during a police interrogation.
“But how would they know it’s me?” Aguilar asked, unaware that cops were sitting across from her.
Huya — who eventually admitted to her role in the scheme — took a plea bargain, admitted to armed robbery and was sentenced to six months in jail and probation, CBS reported.
Meanwhile, Aguilar also took a deal that let him plead guilty to felony theft and aggravated robbery.
Prosecutors asked Judge Joseph Whitfield to imprison him for 15 to 20 years — but the judge jailed him for just one year.
In the end, the gun-wielding thief served less than seven months behind bars.
Both cops and the business he robbed were disgusted.
“It is not what we believe the suspect deserved, and we do not believe that the victims got the justice they deserved,” Cohn said.
A representative for the transport business echoed his comments and said they were “disappointed, but not surprised” that the “soft on crime” judge meted out such a weak punishment.
“We still rely on our justice system and hope that justice is equitable and appropriate for all involved parties … But I think that hope is fading.”
The driver added that she’s been suffering panic attacks and paranoia since the bone-chilling incident, and is now in therapy for anxiety.
Meanwhile, Aguilar — who played in at least one preseason NFL game before exiting the league — claimed he wants a second chance.
“I’m taking full accountability,” he told the judge.
“I was ashamed, but I’m no longer ashamed for accountability has been taken,” he continued. “I’m ready for another opportunity.”
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