The federal judge presiding over the cases of the four former Minneapolis police officers implicated in the killing of George Floyd has accepted Derek Chauvin’s plea deal and will sentence him to 20 to 25 years in prison.
That sentencing range was laid out in the plea agreement filed months ago, which also mentioned Chauvin would be expected to serve between 17 and a little over 21 years, “assuming all good-time credit.”
Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, sparked protests nationwide against police brutality and racial injustice.
At the federal level, Chauvin pleaded guilty in December to violating George Floyd’s civil rights after months earlier pleading not guilty. The maximum sentence is life in prison.
The judge had put off accepting Chauvin’s plea agreement while a preliminary presentence investigation report was done.
Based on the plea agreement filed, the federal sentence would be served concurrently with the 22.5-year sentence tied to his murder conviction at the state level.
US District Court Judge Paul Magnuson didn’t set a date for the sentencing.
Chauvin was sentenced in state court last June after the former Minneapolis police officer was convicted of murder in Floyd’s death.
Under Minnesota law, Chauvin would have to serve two-thirds of that state sentence, or 15 years – and he would be eligible for supervised release for the remaining seven and a half years.
Chauvin has asked the Minnesota Court of Appeals to overturn his conviction.