*Here’s some news that’s going to piss off a lot of people. Derek Chauvin could receive more than $1 million in pension benefits during his retirement years even if he is convicted of killing George Floyd.
Chauvin, who was fired from the Minneapolis police force, has been the subject of national fury since Memorial Day last month when footage emerged of him kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as Floyd begged him to stop. After his firing for heinous act and amid national protests, he was eventually charged with second-degree murder. Three other officers involved with the incident were also fired and face felony charges.
But as far as his pension, none of that matters. Chauvin still stands to benefit from a pension partially funded by taxpayers. While a number of state laws allow for the forfeiture of pensions for those employees convicted of felony crimes related to their work, this is not the case in Minnesota.
Here’s more per CNNÂ via MSN News:
The Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association confirmed to CNN that 44-year-old Chauvin would remain eligible to file for his pension as early as age 50, though it would not provide details on the specific amount he would receive. Chauvin’s attorney declined to comment. Retirement plan officials said that employees terminated voluntarily or for cause are eligible for future benefits unless they choose to forfeit their future benefit and receive a refund of all their contributions made during their employment.
“Neither our Board nor our staff have the discretion to increase, decrease, deny or revoke benefits,” a spokeswoman said. “Any changes to current law would need to be done through the legislative process.”
While a number of factors are used to calculate pension benefits, Chauvin would likely be eligible for annual payments in the ballpark of $50,000 a year or more if he chose to start receiving them at age 55, according to a CNN analysis based on Chauvin’s tenure, 2019 payroll data, contract details, pension plan guidance and Minneapolis Police Department salary schedules. The benefits could stretch to $1.5 million or more over a 30-year period, not including any cost of living increases. Chauvin’s annual payments could be even higher if he received significant amounts of overtime in prior years.
If you’re wondering about the other officers who were fired along with Chauvin, it’s worth noting that two of them were rookies, but a third also appears eligible to receive pension benefits from his time with the department, according to employment records released by the city.
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