Derek Chauvin, Police Officer Charged in George Floyd’s Death, Accused of Felony Tax Evasion

Derek Chauvin, the fired Minneapolis police officer who has been charged with second-degree murder for the killing of George Floyd is now facing additional jail time. Chauvin and his wife were recently charged with nine felony charges for tax fraud in Washington County, Minneapolis, according to Washington County Attorney Pete Orput in a press release.

Chauvin and his wife, Kellie May Chauvin, have been accused of filing false or fraudulent returns and three counts of failure to file tax returns. The charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the Minnesota Department of Revenue and the Oakdale Police Department.

Orput stated, “When you fail to fulfill the basic obligation to file and pay taxes, you are taking money from the pockets of citizens of Minnesota. Our office has and will continue to file these charges when presented. Whether you are a prosecutor or police officer, or you are a doctor or a realtor, no one is above the law.”

The Minnesota Department of Revenue investigators started an inquiry into the Chauvins in June 2020 after they failed to file Minnesota individual income tax returns in a timely matter from 2016 to 2019 and fraudulently filing tax returns from 2014 to 2019. It has been alleged that the Chauvins knew of their obligation to file state income tax returns due to what they filed in previous years and from previous correspondences sent last year by the department regarding their missing 2016 individual income tax return.

The complaints detail that the Chauvins, both employed and living in Minnesota, failed to file income tax returns and pay state income taxes. They also under-reported and underpaid taxes on income gained from different jobs each year, and failed to pay proper sales tax on a car they purchased in Minnesota.

“The vast majority of taxpayers voluntarily comply with Minnesota tax laws,” said Department of Revenue Commissioner Cynthia Bauerly. “However, the department will work with our partners in law enforcement to help ensure that Minnesota’s tax laws are administered fairly and everyone pays the right amount, no more no less.”