By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
A federal judge in Minneapolis accepted a plea deal on Wednesday, May 4, in the case of Derek Chauvin, the former officer convicted of killing George Floyd.
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson said he plans to sentence the disgraced cop to 20 to 25 years in prison for violating Floyd’s civil rights.
Chauvin is still appealing his state murder conviction.
On that charge, a state judge sentenced Chauvin to 22 1/2 years.
His federal sentencing would run concurrently with the state’s, the judge ruled.
In entering the guilty plea on the federal charge, Chauvin admitted he violated Floyd’s constitutional rights of being free from unreasonable seizures – precisely excessive force.
Three other former Minneapolis officers, Thomas Lane, Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao currently are awaiting sentencing after a federal jury convicted them in January of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
The federal plea deal increases the likelihood of Chauvin spending more time in prison than he faced under his state sentence.
State prisoners in Minnesota typically serve one-third of their sentence on parole, which for him would mean 15 years in prison.
Chauvin waived his right to contest his federal conviction if Magnuson accepted the plea agreement.
