Derek Chauvin closing in on plea deal on federal civil rights charges: report

Derek Chauvin -- the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in April of murder and manslaughter for the death of George Floyd -- is reportedly nearing a plea deal on federal civil rights charges that would allow him to avoid spending the rest of his life in prison.

Multiple sources told WCCO that federal prosecutors were in talks with Chauvin about the plea deal and that both parties were close to an agreement. It could arrange for Chauvin to get 20 to 25 years -- and for him to serve that federal sentence at the same time as his state sentence.  The deal might have been what Chauvin was referring to when he publicly addressed the court last week during his sentencing hearing. On Friday, Chauvin, who did not testify in his trial, removed his mask and turned toward the Floyd family, speaking only briefly because of "some additional legal matters at hand." "Due to legal matters, I’m not able to give a full formal statement," Chauvin said, breaking his yearlong silence. "I give my condolences to the Floyd family, there’s going to be some other information in the future that will be of interest and I hope these will give you some peace of mind."