Derek Chauvin and his wife, Kellie May Chauvin, were charged with nine counts of felony tax evasion in Minnesota according to the Washington County attorney’s office.
The Washington County attorney’s office released a statement Wednesday describing the couple’s alleged criminal behavior reaching back to 2014. Derek Chauvin, the ex-cop accused of killing George Floyd, already faces separate second-degree murder charges for his role in Floyd’s death.
“The complaints detail that the Chauvins, both employed and domiciled in Minnesota, failed to file income tax returns and pay state income taxes, underreported and underpaid taxes on income generated from various employments each year, and failed to pay proper sales tax on a vehicle purchased in Minnesota,” the statement reads.
NPR reports that the couple underreported their joint income by more than $464,000 from 2014 to 2019, including nearly $100,000 in unreported income from Derek Chauvin’s part-time job as a night club’s security guard. (RELATED: ‘I’m Not A Bad Guy’: Body Camera Footage In George Floyd Case Details Interaction With Police)
TOPSHOT – People gather at the unveiling of artist Kenny Altidor’s memorial portrait of George Floyd – who died 25 May in Minneapolis with police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes – painted on a storefront sidewall of CTown Supermarket on July 13, 2020 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Each of the nine charges has a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to NPR.
The Minnesota Department of Revenue and Oakdale Police Department began their investigation into the Chauvins’ finances in June “for failure to timely file Minnesota individual income tax returns from 2016 to 2019 and fraudulently filing tax returns from 2014 to 2019,” according to the statement.
“When you fail to fulfill the basic obligation to file and pay taxes, you are taking money from the pockets of citizens of Minnesota,” Pete Orput, Washington County attorney, said in the statement.
The couple was repeatedly contacted by the Minnesota Department of Revenue in 2019 regarding their missing tax return in 2016 and “knew their obligation” to the law, the statement said.
Kellie May Chauvin filed for divorce days after Floyd’s death on May 25.
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