Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd in the summer of 2020, has been transferred to a federal prison in Arizona, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
U.S. marshals picked up Chauvin from a maximum security prison in a suburb of Minneapolis on Wednesday and took him to a medium security federal prison near Tuscon, Arizona, according to Fox News. The move was part of a plea deal in Chauvin’s federal civil rights case.
Chauvin is expected to serve two sentences concurrently in Arizona, the 22.5 year sentence stemming from his murder and manslaughter convictions related to Floyd’s death as well as a 21-year civil rights sentence.
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Chauvin pleaded guilty for violating Floyd’s civil rights in December, acknowledging for the first time that he had knelt on Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes during an arrest, resulting in Floyd’s death in May 2020. A judge accepted the plea deal in May and sentenced him to 21 years last month.
The deal included the transfer, which would protect Chauvin from serving time with people he had arrested in Minneapolis, a common move for former law enforcement officers. Chauvin could have faced a life sentence had the deal not been reached.
The Arizona facility houses 266 inmates, including both men and women. The institution is part of a larger complex that also includes a high security area, and a minimum-security satellite camp. Additional details about where Chauvin will be held in the facility were not released due to security, privacy, and safety concerns, BOP spokeswoman Randilee Giamussoau told the Associated Press.
Videos of Floyd’s death were followed by a wave of protests against police brutality and racism, including calls to defund the police.
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Three other former Minneapolis police officers were convicted of federal civil right charges in Floyd’s death. Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Keung were sentenced to three and 3 1/2 years for their roles. Thomas Lane, who held Floyd’s legs during the arrest, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in July due to his “minimal role” in Floyd’s death. Thao and Keung plan to appeal their sentences.
Both Keung and Thao rejected plea deals for the state charges earlier this month that had been taken by Lane. The deal would have given them three years in prison for their roles. Lane will be sentenced in September, while Keung and Thao will face trial in October.
