Derek Chauvin, former officer charged with the death of George Floyd, charged with tax evasion


Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with the death of George Floyd, has been charged with tax evasion.

Chauvin’s wife, Kellie May Chauvin, who filed for divorce, was also charged, Washington County District Attorney Pete Orput said Wednesday.

The Chauvins are accused of failing to file income tax returns and paying state income taxes in Minnesota. Authorities said the couple did not report or pay taxes and did not pay sales tax on a vehicle.

According to online court records Wednesday night, it was unclear whether any of them had an attorney in the tax case.

Requests for comment emailed from the attorney representing Derek Chauvin in the Floyd-related murder case and an attorney listed as Kellie May Chauvin’s representative in a divorce proceeding were not immediately answered Wednesday night.

Derek Chauvin, 44, is the white police officer seen on video kneeling on Floyd’s neck, who is black, on May 25 when Floyd said he couldn’t breathe. Floyd died, and Chauvin was fired and charged with second-degree murder and other charges. Three other officers were also dismissed and criminally charged.

In the tax evasion case, both Chauvins are charged with six counts of aiding and abetting taxes: false or fraudulent statements, and three counts of aiding and abetting taxes: failure to file returns, according to court documents.

The couple did not file Minnesota income tax returns for 2016, 2017, or 2018, according to a probable cause statement filed in the case.

The statements for several years did not list the income from Derek Chauvin’s off-duty security job or Kellie Chauvin’s photography job, according to the document.

The court documents list total unreported income from 2014 to 2019 as $ 464,433 and say they owe taxes, penalties, and interest totaling $ 37,868.

They are also accused of buying a 2018 BMW X5 in 2018 for around $ 100,200 at a Minnesota dealership, but they registered it in Florida, although it was actually used in Minnesota, avoiding a higher state sales tax.

The couple has owned a home in Windermere, Florida, since 2011. Kellie Chauvin said she and Derek Chauvin changed their residence to Florida because it was cheaper to register a car, according to criminal complaint documents.

She told investigators that they live in Minnesota, but that she generally spends December and January in Florida, according to the complaint. Her husband did not always spend those months there for work, she said.

Kellie Chauvin, 45, said in May that she was divorcing after 10 years of marriage. A divorce petition says she intends to change her name.

It came shortly after Floyd’s death, sparking protests across the country and calling for police reform and racial justice.

Kellie Chauvin in 2018 when she was competing for the title of Ms. Minnesota America.Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press via AP file

Investigators began an investigation into the couple’s taxes in June, said Orput, the Washington County prosecutor.

“When you fail to meet the basic obligation to file and pay taxes, you are taking money out of the pockets of Minnesota citizens,” Orput said in a statement.

“If you are a prosecutor or a police officer, or if you are a doctor or a real estate agent, no one is above the law,” said the prosecutor.

The complaint says letters were sent to both Chauvins between 2019 and 2020 about the missing tax returns, and showing that they knew they had to pay Minnesota income tax. They also warned of possible criminal penalties.

She “told investigators that she had not filed tax returns because ‘it escaped her,'” the criminal complaint read.