(WCCO) Amid news that Officer Derek Chauvin was working with prosecutors on a plea deal and may have previously "bumped heads" with George Floyd when both worked as bouncers, comes this: Chauvin is accused of voting illegally in two Florida elections.
Dan Helm, a Florida attorney and candidate for Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, told WFLA that Chauvin committed fraud in Florida, an important swing state with a massive 29 electoral votes.
“This is an instance of voter fraud and so when we see it, we need to recognize it, we need to call it out,” said Helm. “Florida is decided by razor-thin margins, every single vote counts.”
Election officials confirmed to WFLA that Chauvin, who moonlighted as both a bouncer and a Realtor as a Minneapolis cop, is registered to vote in Orange County, Fla. He's the registered owner of property near Orlando, though his ful-time residence is in Oakdale, Minn. He's also an inmate being held on $1 million bond while awaiting trial for second-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd's death.
The 44-year-old took part in early voting in both the 2016 and 2018 General Elections, according to Helm, who sent a letter with Chauvin's voting to Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala. Helm wants Florida to pursue charges against Chauvin, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
“While living in Minnesota, working there, paying taxes there, Derek Chauvin cannot claim residency in Orange County," Helm told the Sentinel. "His home, residency and where he intends to live is in Minnesota, not Florida.”