Thomas Lane.Photo: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office
Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane has been sentenced to 2.5 years in federal prison for violating the civil rights ofGeorge Floydin 2020, PEOPLE confirms.
Federal prosecutors had asked that Lane serve 6 years and 6 months, while his defense attorney requested a sentence of 2 years and four months.
Lane has been ordered to surrender to authorities on Oct. 4 to begin his sentence.
Lane, Kueng, and Thao watched as Floyd struggled to breathe and repeatedly indicated his distress. All three testified on their own behalf and said they had trusted Chauvin’s lead at the time.
Chauvin was fired the day after Floyd’s murder.
Viral video of Floyd’s killing sparked the nation’s largest civil rights protests in decades and led to increased awareness about police brutality and racial injustice in America.
Lanehas been out on bond since 2020.
News of the federal sentence comes little more than two months after the disgraced rookie cop pleaded guilty to a state charge of second-degree manslaughter stemming from Floyd’s May 25, 2020, killing.
George Floyd.Ben Crump Law Firm
He will be sentenced on the state charge on Sept. 21.
Thao and Kueng are scheduled to stand trial on state charges of aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter on Oct. 24.
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Federal officials have yet to schedule a sentencing for Kueng and Thao, who have contested how their recommended sentences were calculated as part of a pre-sentencing review.
Chauvin, 46, pleaded guiltylast year to a federal charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights and earlier this month,was sentenced to 21 years behind bars.
Prior to that, Chauvinwas convictedon state charges of murder and manslaughter.He was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison— or 270 months.
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source: people.com
