Ex-cop, Derek Chauvin, gets 21-year federal sentence for violating George Floyd's civil rights

Photo Credit: Minnesota Department of Corrections

The former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on a handcuffed Black man's neck for more than nine minutes while he was lying in the street struggling to breathe was sentenced to over 20 years in federal prison today.

Senior US District Court Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced Derek Chauvin, 46, to 252 months in prison with credit for time served for depriving George Floyd Jr., and a then 14-year-old boy of their constitutional rights.

The 46-year-old died pinned under three Minneapolis officers after telling them, "I can't breathe," more than 20 times. His May 2020 death, captured on video, sparked protests around the country against racial injustice and police brutality.

Chauvin was already sentenced to 22 and a half years in June 2021 on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for his role in Floyd's death. US attorneys asked the court for Chauvin's sentence to run concurrently with his state sentence.

#DerekChauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted last year of murdering #GeorgeFloyd, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday on a separate federal charge that he violated Floyd’s civil rights when he pressed his knees into the man’s neck. pic.twitter.com/nVQ2hZo0WM

— Gerald A. Griggs (@AttorneyGriggs) July 7, 2022

Chauvin could have faced up to life in prison if convicted of depriving Floyd of his civil rights. He instead pleaded guilty in December as part of an agreement with prosecutors, which capped the potential sentence at 25 years.

In the plea agreement, Chauvin admitted that his willful use of unreasonable force resulted in Floyd’s bodily injury and death because his actions impaired his ability to obtain and maintain sufficient oxygen to sustain life. Chauvin also pleaded guilty to willfully depriving a then-14-year-old child of his constitutional right to be free from the use of unreasonable force by a police officer, resulting in the child’s bodily injury.

"This sentence should send a strong message that the Justice Department stands ready to prosecute law enforcement officers who use deadly force without basis," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division of the ruling. "While no amount of prison time can reverse the tragic consequences of Derek Chauvin’s violent actions, we hope that this sentence provides some small measure of justice for the families and communities impacted.”

U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger for the District of Minnesota added, "Chauvin's actions constituted a grave abuse of police authority and a clear violation of these individuals’ civil rights. To the victims, their families, and to the broader community: although the harm that Chauvin caused will never be erased, today’s sentence of more than 20 years in prison represents a measure of justice and accountability.”

Chauvin will be transferred from solitary confinement at Minnesota's only maximum-security prison to a federal prison, where he will serve both sentences.

Three other former Minneapolis police officers involved in the incident – Tou Thao, J. Alexander Keung and Thomas Lane – were convicted in February of federal civil rights charges in Floyd's death.

Thao, Kueng and Lane were charged with depriving Floyd of his civil rights while acting under government authority and failing to provide Floyd with medical care. Thao and Kueng faced an additional count for failing to stop Chauvin from initiating the actions which caused Floyd’s death.

Under federal guidelines, the trio could face life in prison or even the death penalty at sentencing.