Former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, has pleaded guilty in a federal court to charges he violated the civil rights of George Floyd, likely extending Chauvin’s prison sentence by several years after his earlier conviction for Floyd’s murder in state court.
The 45 year old former police officer had already been sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison in June after a jury convicted him for the murder of Floyd in 2020.
Federal prosecutors have stated that they would ask the court that the 20-25 year sentence stated in the sentencing guidelines for violating a person’s civil rights would be run concurrently with the state one, meaning that Chauvin’s current prison term could be extended by several years.
The video of Chauvin kneeling on handcuffed Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes sparked one of the largest protest movements ever seen in the United States.
Chauvin’s conviction earlier this year for unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and Manslaughter was seen as a significant rebuke of the disproportionate use of police force against African Americans.