Ex-Cop Charged In George Floyd’s Death Faces Felony Tax Fraud Charges For Claiming Florida Residency

Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis Police officer charged with second-degree murder in the killing of George Floyd, has been charged with nine felony counts of aiding and abetting tax fraud in Washington County, Minn. along with his estranged wife, Kellie Chauvin.

They were charged Wednesday with felony tax crimes that go back to 2014, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

According to the charges, the Chauvins are accused of deliberately underreporting their joint income by $464,433 between 2014 and 2019, and they owed a total of $21,853 in taxes —$37,868 including interest and late-filing and fraud penalties, the Star Tribune reports.

They are also accused of failing to pay proper sales tax on a $100,000 BMW they bought in Minnesota in 2018 but registered in Florida, where sales tax is lower, according to the criminal complaint.

They were each charged with nine counts of aiding and abetting taxes-false or fraudulent returns or failing to file returns, the Star Tribune said.

“When you fail to fulfill the basic obligation to file and pay taxes, you are taking money from the pockets of citizens of Minnesota,” Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said in a statement, according to KMSP-TV.

“Our office has and will continue to file these charges when presented. Whether you are a prosecutor or police officer, or you are doctor or a Realtor, no one is above the law.”

Kellie Chauvin, 45, filed for divorce almost immediately after her husband’s arrest.

The investigation “was in the works well before” the now-fired officer was charged with Floyd’s death in late May, County Attorney Pete Orput told the Star Tribune.