Derek Chauvin pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges in the civil rights case of George Floyd, meaning the former Minneapolis police officer can serve time in a federal prison.
As previously reported by Human Events News, Chauvin was convicted of second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in April of 2021. He was sentenced to over 22 years in prison. He and three other former officers who were present at the time of Floyd’s death - Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao - all plead not guilty to federal charges of violating civil rights.
Prosecutors for the U.S. District Court for Minnesota dropped the indictment over a separate 2017 incident in which Chauvin knelt on the back of a 14-year-old boy and struck him in the head with a flashlight during a domestic disturbance call, Fox News reports.
Chauvin’s Wednesday guilty plea means he may be transferred from solitary confinement in a state prison to a federal prison.
During the hearing, Judge Paul A. Magnuson asked Chauvin if he understood “this is the end of it” and he would not have any right to appeal. Chauvin said he understood and waived his right to a trial in the federal case.
Per the conditions of his plea deal, Chauvin will never be allowed to work in law enforcement again and will pay restitution.
While Chauvin has not been sentenced yet, prosecutors indicated they would ask for a 25-year sentence for the five federal charges. The recommended sentence would have been between 240 and 300 months and five years of supervised release to be served concurrently with his 22.5-year state sentence.
