BOULDER, Colo. — The driver found guilty of killing 17-year-old cycling phenomenon Magnus White is facing another charge in an unrelated case, while at the same time appealing her vehicular homicide conviction.
Yeva Smilianska, 25, was convicted of vehicular homicide in April of last year after striking and killing White, who was on a training ride near his home in Boulder on July 29, 2023.
In June of 2025, she was sentenced to four years in prison for White’s death and later notified by the Colorado Department of Corrections that she was eligible for a community corrections review, which allows non-violent offenders to be considered for such a transition 16 months before their parole eligibility date.
Boulder
Parents of Magnus White say son feels 'further away' after driver's conviction
A Boulder County District Attorney's Office spokesperson told Denver7 Smilianska's request to be transferred to a halfway house in Boulder County was denied on Jan. 9.
Now, Smilianska faces a new felony theft charge in Boulder County, and a hearing is set for the afternoon of Feb. 13.
An affidavit in the theft case, which was filed on Jan. 12, shows Longmont police started investigating claims from a bar's bookkeeper who "uncovered fraudulent transactions" in the fall of 2025. Investigators claim that Smilianska, a former employee of the bar, deposited the same paychecks repeatedly. Court documents show the first instance of a check clearing a second time was on April 8, 2025 — just days after a jury found her guilty of vehicular homicide.
The criminal activity was not discovered until several months after Smilianska's trial and sentencing hearing connected to the crash that killed White. Bank records received by the Longmont Police Department in Nov. 2025 were used by investigators to confirm the issues with the paychecks.
The bar determined the loss from the checks was $2,023.70.
In a statement released Sunday on Instagram, White’s family, who pushes for harsher penalties in similar cases, says this latest charge has closed Smilianska's eligibility for a community corrections referral.
The Boulder County District Attorney's Office spokesperson confirmed with Denver7 they communicated the information about Smilianska's new case to the Community Corrections board "immediately." While the theft charge does not mean she is ineligible for community corrections, it can influence her review and parole status — an analysis the District Attorney's Office believes should be impacted by this latest development.
“Our office was honored to fight for justice for Magnus, his family, and this community. We secured the right and just outcome at trial, including this defendant being sentenced to state prison instead of probation. As the defendant serves her sentence, the DA’s Office will continue to remain very engaged and do what we can do to ensure the right thing happens. In order to improve traffic safety, Colorado needs to embrace changes to technology and infrastructure -- as well as appropriate consequences for the choices that a person makes behind the wheel.”
White was a rising multidisciplinary star, winning a junior national cyclocross championship in 2021 and earning a spot on the U.S. national team.
He competed with the team in Europe ahead of the 2022 cyclocross world championships, and he was selected to represent the U.S.
His parents spearheaded a nonprofit foundation in his honor, called The White Line, which advocates for safer roadways on local and federal levels.
Smilianska remains under supervised custody at a Colorado facility.
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