Derek Chauvin Pleads Guilty in Tax Evasion Case

By Matt McKinney, Star Tribune (TNS)

The former Minneapolis police officer imprisoned for the murder of George Floyd plead guilty Friday in Washington County District Court to two counts of tax evasion.

Derek Chauvin, who appeared for the hearing via Zoom from the Arizona prison where he is serving a 22½-year sentence for killing Floyd and violating his civil rights, was first charged in 2020 along with his ex-wife with underreporting their income.

He plead guilty Friday to two counts of aiding and abetting, failure to file tax returns in 2017 and 2018.

His former wife, Kellie Chauvin, pleaded guilty to two counts of tax evasion in a hearing last month. She filed for divorce two days after Floyd’s death, but the charges cover a time when they were married and filing jointly.

The state alleged that they failed to pay $21,853 in taxes on income from 2014 through 2019, largely from security jobs at restaurants and bars that Chauvin did on the side while working as a Minneapolis police officer and from Kellie’s photography business.

Penalties and interest on the unpaid taxes pushed the couple’s obligation to $37,868, according to court documents.

In the plea deal, the state dropped seven of nine charges and Chauvin was handed a 13-month sentence with credit for 13 months already served. No fine was imposed, and Chauvin agreed to pay restitution in an amount to be determined later.

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Taxes