Derek Chauvin, ex-cop who killed George Floyd, pleads guilty to tax evasion

MINNEAPOLIS — The former Minneapolis police officer convicted in 2021 of murdering George Floyd pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of tax evasion.

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Chauvin appeared virtually Friday in a Washington County courtroom, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting, failure to file tax returns to the state of Minnesota for the years 2016 and 2017, The Associated Press reported. He remains imprisoned in Arizona on a 22 1/2-year sentence for killing Floyd in 2020 and violating his civil rights, according to KARE.

As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped other tax-related charges against Chauvin, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. He was sentenced to 13 months in prison with credit for 13 months already served, according to the newspaper. He also agreed to pay restitution, though the amount was not immediately determined.

Chauvin and his now ex-wife, Kellie Chauvin, were charged in 2020 with underreporting their income by more than $464,000 from 2014 to 2019, the Star Tribune and the AP reported. Authorities said the pair failed to pay nearly $22,000 in taxes, mostly on cash earned through security jobs that Chauvin took and his then-wife’s photography business, according to the Star Tribune.

Kellie Chauvin pleaded guilty to tax fraud last month as part of a plea deal that ensured she would not go to prison, WCCO-TV reported. She is expected to be sentenced to three years of probation and community service in May, according to the news station. She will also be required to pay restitution.

A jury earlier convicted Derek Chauvin of murder and manslaughter charges in the May 2020 death of Floyd, who died after video posted on social media showed the then-police officer holding his knee to Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. The video fueled protests nationwide.

Derek Chauvin subsequently pleaded guilty to violating Floyd’s civil rights during the deadly encounter. He was sentenced to 21 years to be served concurrently with his 22 1/2-year sentence on state charges.

Three other former officers have also been convicted of violating Floyd’s rights. Two of them have also been sentenced on state charges for aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter while a third awaits a judge’s verdict.