Derek Chauvin may still get $1m police pension even if he's convicted for killing George Floyd

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The former Minneapolis police officer who was seen pressing his knee into the neck of George Floyd for almost nine minutes before he died could receive more than $1million in pension benefits even if he is convicted in court.

Derek Chauvin, 44, faces charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd’s death.

He kept his knee on Floyd’s neck even as the 46-year-old black man begged him to let up so that he could breathe.

After Floyd’s death, Chauvin was fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. It took authorities four days to arrest and charge him amid intense pressure.


Even if Chauvin is convicted and sentenced to prison for Floyd’s death, he could still collect pension payments if he decided to apply for retirement benefits after the age of 50, according to CNN.

Some states do have pension forfeiture laws which allow for benefits to be denied to any public employee who is convicted of a serious crime. Minnesota, however, is not one of them.

Minnesota state law protects the pensions of public safety employees – even in cases of termination.

Chauvin could decide to forego his pension by requesting a refund of his employer contributions, which would be paid out in a lump sum.

But there is no legal mechanism by which Chauvin could have his pension denied, according to the Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association.

‘Neither our Board nor our staff have the discretion to increase, decrease, deny or revoke benefits,’ a PERA spokeswoman told CNN.