Federal Sentence Likely Extends Chauvin's Prison Stay By About 3 Years

ST. PAUL, MN — Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced in federal court to 252 months — or 21 years —on Thursday following his conviction in George Floyd's death. Chauvin will get credit for seven months of time already served.

In practical terms, that new sentence will only add about three years to what Chauvin was already going to serve in prison. That's because the federal sentence will run concurrently with the 22.5 years Chauvin is already serving for his state murder conviction in Floyd's death.

But while his state conviction is technically longer, in Minnesota, inmates with good behavior are required to serve only two-thirds of their total executed sentence in prison, with the final third typically being served outside of prison on "supervised release."

If Chauvin only had his state sentence to serve, he would likely have been out of prison by the end of 2035. But with his federal sentence tacked on, his release date is now more likely 2038.

Read more: Derek Chauvin Sentenced To 21 Years In George Floyd's Death

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.