Derek Chauvin charged with felony tax fraud

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged in the death of George Floyd, is now also facing felony tax fraud charges.

On Wednesday, Washington County Attorney Pete Orput announced that Derek Chauvin and his estranged wife, Kellie Chauvin, have been accused of fraudulently filing tax returns from 2014 to 2019 and not filing individual income tax returns on time from 2016 to 2019.

The criminal complaint states that the Minnesota Department of Revenue and the Oakdale Police Department began investigating the Chauvins last month, and found that they underreported and underpaid taxes on income and did not pay proper sales tax on a car they purchased. "When you fail to fulfill the basic obligation to file and pay taxes, you are taking money from the pockets of citizens of Minnesota," Orput said.

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On May 25, Chauvin was filmed with his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, as Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe. Floyd's death sparked massive anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests around the world, and Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Just days after Floyd's death, Kellie Chauvin filed for divorce, which is still pending.