George Floyd murder suspect Derek Chauvin and his ex-wife charged with tax evasion

The former Minneapolis police officer and accused of the murder of African-American George Floyd has now been charged with multiple felony counts of tax evasion.

Derek Chauvin and his wife are accused of failing to report income from various jobs, and allegedly owe nearly $38,000 to Minnesota state, reports BBC. 

The incident which sparked a global protest cost Chauvin his job and now facing with  charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other officers were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder.

Chauvin and his estranged wife, Kellie Chauvin, were each charged in Washington County on Wednesday with six counts of aiding and abetting filing false or fraudulent tax returns and three counts of aiding and abetting failing to file state tax returns.

They are accused of underreporting their joint income by $464,433 from 2014 to 2019. This includes money Chauvin made doing off-duty security work and weekend shifts at a restaurant.

Prosecutor Imran Ali told the Associated Press news agency that the amount of unpaid taxes could increase as investigations continue.

Chauvin is already in jail in connection with Floyd's death but Chauvin is not in custody. The Laos-born former Mrs Minnesota winner filed for divorce following Floyd's death.

In a statement, County Attorney Pete Orput said failure to file and pay taxes was "taking money from the pockets of citizens of Minnesota."

"Whether you are a prosecutor or police officer, or you are doctor or a realtor, no one is above the law," he said.