Derek Chauvin, ex-cop convicted of killing George Floyd, pleads guilty to tax evasion
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Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the killing of George Floyd, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of tax evasion for the years 2016 and 2017.
The disgraced former cop, who’s currently serving time for the murder of Floyd in 2020, pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting, failing to file tax returns to the state of Minnesota.
He appeared in court Friday morning from a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona via Zoom.
“The true reason,” Chauvin told Washington County Judge Sheridan Hawle, “is some financial concerns at the time.”
Prosecutors say Chauvin and his then-wife Kellie May Chauvin failed to file Minnesota tax returns and underreported their joint income by a total of $464,433 from 2014 to 2019 — including more than $95,000 he allegedly made while working as an off-duty security guard.
Hawley sentenced Chauvin to 13 months in prison and ordered him to pay $37,686 in restitution. The prison term has already been satisfied, however, since the judge allowed it to run concurrently with the time he’s already serving.
Chauvin was sentenced in 2021 to 22 1/2 years for Floyd’s murder. He was later sentenced to 21 years for violating Floyd’s civil rights. The two sentences are also running concurrently.
His former wife, who now lives in Wisconsin, pleaded guilty on Feb. 24 to two counts of aiding and abetting, failing to file taxes. She is scheduled to be sentenced in May.
The investigation into the former couple’s taxes began in June 2020, shortly after Floyd’s death, after the Minnesota Department of Revenue received information about the suspicious filings.
Chauvin, who’s white, was recorded on video pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes as the 46-year-old Black man begged for help.
Floyd, who was handcuffed at the time, lost consciousness and died. His murder ignited protests against racial injustice and police brutality around the world.
With News Wire Services
