Disgraced former police officer Derek Chavin pleaded guilty Friday to tax evasion in Minnesota after he hid tens of thousands of dollars from the state.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of tax evasion in a Minnesota court before Washington County Judge Sheridan Hawley.
The Minneapolis police officer accused of killing George Floyd on May 25, 2020, is already behind bars, a killing that was captured on video and sparked civil rights protests across the United States.
Chauvin, also known as Kelly Tao and Kelly Xiong, and his ex-wife, Kelly Mae Chauvin, were charged in the tax scandal shortly after Floyd was killed.
They are accused of defrauding the state of Minnesota by failing to pay taxes on a combined $464,433 in income from 2014 to 2019, including $95,000 from his work as an off-duty security officer, authorities said.
At the time he was a real estate agent and also ran a photography business. Together, they owe the state $37,868, which includes unpaid taxes, interest and fees, officials said.
Chauvin’s ex-wife, who now lives in Wisconsin, pleaded guilty on February 24 to two counts of aiding and abetting the failure to file taxes. His plea agreement required three years of probation and $37,868 in restitution, with no more than 45 days of community service. Halley said he will be sentenced on May 12.
In June 2020, a tax investigation began after the Minnesota Department of Revenue received information about Derek Chauvin’s suspicious filings. The company initiated a review and then an investigation.
The Chauvins did not file state tax returns for 2016, 2017 or 2018, and did not report all of their income for 2014 and 2015. Their income during those years, the complaint states.
Chauvin, 46, the white police officer seen on video kneeling on the neck of Floyd, who is black, for 9 1/2 minutes in early summer 2020, said the victim was unable to breathe. Relaxed.
Nearly a year later, a Minneapolis jury convicted Chau of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He is now serving a 22 1/2-year sentence on that state conviction.
Chauvin appeared distant on Friday A federal prison in Arizona There he is serving 21 years for violating Floyd’s civil rights.
