A federal judge approved a plea deal on Wednesday that will give former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin between 20 and 25 years in prison for abusing the rights of George Floyd, whose death in 2020 sparked widespread protests.
On Wednesday, Judge Paul A. Magnuson stated the court waited until a “preliminary presentence investigation” report was released before accepting Chauvin’s federal plea.
“That report has now [been] issued, and acceptance of the plea is appropriate,” added Magnuson.
Chauvin is eligible to serve 17 to 21 years and three months in prison with credit for good behavior in the federal system. A sentencing date for Chauvin is not currently set.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Chauvin pled guilty to a federal charge on December 15 for violating Floyd’s civil rights. He admitted that he kept his knee on Floyd’s neck after the man went motionless, resulting in Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020.
The former officer was found to have unlawfully denied Floyd’s right to be free from unreasonable seizure, including excessive force by a police officer.
Chauvin also pled guilty to violating the rights of a then-14-year-old male. In 2017, Chauvin was accused of grabbing the child’s throat, striking him in the head with a flashlight, and putting his knee on the boy’s neck and upper back while the teen was prone, restrained, and not resisting.
Chauvin was already serving 22 years and six months after being convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges last spring for Floyd’s death.
Three other ex-officers in the case were convicted of comparable federal civil rights charges in February, but Magnuson has yet to set sentencing dates for them.
Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng’s pre-sentence investigations are ongoing. Next month, they will stand trial in state court on allegations of aiding and abetting Chauvin in Floyd’s murder.
