The former Minneapolis police officer who was charged with murder in the death of George Floyd has been hit with nine tax evasion charges, along with his wife, according to the Star Tribune.
Derek and Kellie Chauvin were each charged with six counts of aiding and abetting taxes or filing fraudulent returns and three counts of failing to file tax returns. According to the charges, from 2014 to 2019, the Chauvins “underreported $464,433 in joint income and owed a total of $21,853 in taxes.” They owe $37,868 with interests, late filings and fraud penalties.
The complaints also state that on June 26, one day after their home was searched, Kellie, who filed for divorce once her husband was charged with murder, called Derek at the prison where he is currently being held. During the recored call, she allegedly told him that their unfiled tax returns were being investigated.
She allegedly told him that she was going to meet with someone about “[20]16 to now.” Derek allegedly then suggested using “who we have used to handle for many years.” Kellie responded, “Yeah, well, we don’t want to get your dad involved, because he will just be mad at me, I mean us, not doing them for years.”
On Wednesday (July 22), the Chauvins’ attorney also requested that their divorce file be sealed to prevent further harassment from the public. “The circumstances surrounding respondent’s incarceration has resulted in rage and violence throughout the community directed at both petitioner and respondent,” the court filing states.
“Allowing public access of this file will allow further harassment of Petitioner and not allow any privacy in this matter,” the filing continued. “In addition, allowing public access will allow the public and media to have notice of when hearings occur and will allow the general public to know the whereabouts of each party during the proceedings. Such access will negatively affect the parties from a safety standpoint.”
Chauvin, who was seen on video with his knee pressed into Floyd’s neck, is currently behind bars. His bond is set at $1.25 million. Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s criminal attorney, says he was not aware of the tax charges.