Ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin charged with tax crimes while jailed in Floyd death

Derek Chauvin, the fired Minneapolis police officer charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, is now charged with tax crimes, records show.

Chauvin is charged with nine felony tax crimes in Washington County, Minnesota, according to records obtained by Minnesota Lawyer. Chauvin’s wife, Kellie May Chauvin, is also charged, the records show.

The charges include six counts of tax fraud and three counts of failing to file tax returns, records show.

Chauvin, 44, remains jailed on a second-degree murder charge in the death of Floyd, the Black man he’s accused of pinning to the ground. Three other police officers who stood by also were fired and charged.

Chauvin’s criminal attorney, Eric Nelson, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Wednesday he was unaware of the tax charges.

The Chauvins failed to file Minnesota state taxes from 2016 to 2018, according to a criminal complaint.

As an off-duty police officer, investigators say, Chauvin earned nearly $96,000 providing security for a club in Minneapolis between 2014 and 2019, which he didn’t claim as income, the complaint says.

Kellie Chauvin earned about $181,365 as a real estate agent from 2016-2018, the years the couple didn’t file Minnesota tax returns. She didn’t report about $66,473 in earnings as a photographer in 2014 and 2015, according to the complaint.

She told investigators “it got away from her” when questioned during an interview about failing to file tax returns, officials say.

In 2018, the couple bought a BMW for about $100,000 in Minnesota but registered the vehicle in Florida, according to the complaint. Kellie Chauvin told investigators they changed residency to Florida because it was cheaper to register the car there, officials say.

The Chauvins have owned a home in Florida since 2011.

Investigators say the Chauvins owe $37,868 in taxes, interest and penalties.

Kellie Chauvin filed for divorce in May, and the case is pending, the Minnesota Reformer reported.

Washington County Attorney Pete Orput told Minnesota Lawyer his decision to file charges isn’t connected with Chauvin’s arrest in Floyd’s death.

“Everybody’s got to be held to account,” he told the news outlet. “My position is that nobody is above the law.”

This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 1:01 PM with the headline "Ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin charged with tax crimes while jailed in Floyd death."