After being sentenced to more than 22 years in prison by a Minnesota judge last week for his involvement in the death of George Floyd, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is now negotiating with prosecutors regarding the federal charges he still faces.
Minneapolis CBS affiliate WCCO reports that "federal prosecutors are in talks" with Chauvin "about a possible plea deal" and that deal "is what he was likely referring to when he made a cryptic comment to the family of George Floyd during his sentencing."
During his sentencing hearing at the Hennepin Country Government Center, Chauvin said that "Due to some additional legal matters at hand, I'm not able to give a full formal statement at this time."
Derek Chauvin says in brief statement before sentencing: "I do want to give my condolences to the Floyd family. There's going to be some other information in the future that would be of interest, and I hope things will give you some peace of mind." https://t.co/1pe5DBkZ8g pic.twitter.com/bhiAlHYoML
— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 25, 2021
"There's gonna be some other information in the future that would be of interest and I hope things will give you some peace of mind," he told the family of George Floyd after expressing brief condolences.
WCCO also reports that "as part of a possible plea deal Chauvin would have to publicly explain what he did to Floyd and why." In return, "Chauvin could get a 20- to 25-year sentence, which he would serve at the same time as the state sentence, and that he would serve his time in federal not state prison."
Without a plea, Chauvin risks being convicted in federal court — as he was on all charges brought against him by Minnesota prosecutors — for using excessive force against George Floyd and depriving Floyd of his civil rights, for which "Chauvin could face life in prison," according to WCCO.
The report also notes that there was an earlier attempt at a plea deal between Chauvin and federal prosecutors last May, but that deal "collapsed at the 11th hour."