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Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin charged with nine counts of tax-evasion

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PHOTO CREDITS: HENNEPIN COUNTY SHERIFF/AP 

Former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, who was charged with the murder of George Floyd, was charged with 9 different counts of tax-evasion Thursday, including aiding and abetting filing false or fraudulent tax returns and aiding and abetting failure to file tax returns. ~

The Minnesota Department of Revenue began an investigation in June after they received information about suspicious activity executed by Chauvin. Chauvin and his wife, Kellie May Chauvin, both had multiple sources of income which they failed to report on their tax returns, according to criminal complaints. The complaints allege that Chauvin worked as security at a local restaurant every weekend, earning $220 per night for 6 years, none of which was claimed as income. Chauvin’s wife is a real estate agent, in addition to operating a photography business on the side. By looking at bank records the investigators discovered 340 checks written to the business totalling $66,472.75, which was also not claimed as income. The complaints also contain allegations featuring the sales tax on the Chauvin’s $100,000 BMW, and property taxes on a former rental home. The investigators discovered that in addition to underreporting their income by $464,433, the couple also did not file tax returns in 2016, 2017, and 2018. ~

Earlier this year, a video of Derek Chauvin with his knee on the neck of George Floyd went viral across the United States and the world, causing an uproar in new support for the Black Lives Matter movement, which is fighting for racial equality and justice in the United States. As a result of his actions seen in the video, Chauvin and three associates who were at the scene were fired, and Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter. Chauvin is currently in police custody, but Kellie, who filed for divorce after the video of her husband surfaced, was not in custody as of Wednesday. ~

When approached for comment, Derek Chauvin’s defense attorney for his murder charges, Eric Nelson, had no comment. Additionally, Kellie Chauvin has not made a public statement. ~

ARTICLE: ABI YARBROUGH

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