by H. Jiahong Pan

J. Alexander Kueng, one of four former Minneapolis police officers found guilty of encouraging George Floyd’s murder, received a three and a half year jail term on Friday.
Kueng was one of the two cops who assisted former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, in holding Floyd for more than nine minutes. Floyd died as a result of Chauvin kneeling on his throat while the three officers present did nothing to stop him.

“Their actions were a stumbling block for those good officers and the law enforcement profession,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank said. “I can’t even begin to imagine what George Floyd’s family went through. We are thinking of them and wish them the best.” George Floyd’s family did not issue a statement.

Thomas Plunkett, Kueng’s attorney, attributed Kueng’s misfortune to corruption and insufficient instruction. “Kueng, the rookie, is currently serving a year in jail for each day he worked for the city. The leadership “learned nothing and missed nothing,” Plunkett said, adding that former Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo “ride off into the sunset with a hefty pension” despite having ignored the community’s call for ethical police training.

The sentencing, which was scheduled for 8:30 a.m., was postponed. The Federal Bureau of Prisons, which is housing Kueng in its Elkton, Ohio facility, did not respond to repeated messages about the hearing and made no attempts to sign in to the online webinar where the sentencing took place, according to Judge Peter Cahill, who is presiding over the case. The Federal Bureau of Prisons reportedly experienced technical difficulties that lasted until shortly after 1 p.m.

During Judge Cahill’s morning announcement, someone in the webinar chat box identified as Derek Chauvin said, “Peter, do the right thing.” They were promptly removed from the webinar, with Cahill stating that such behavior will not be tolerated.

Kueng will also receive 84 days of time served credit. He will also be required to submit a DNA sample, will be prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition for the rest of his life, and will be required to pay a $128 fee, which includes special assessments and a law library fee deducted from his prison wages.

Kueng is expected to be released in October 2025 if he serves two-thirds of his state sentence and the entire 36-month federal sentence.
Meanwhile, Chauvin and Thomas Lane are serving state and federal sentences in federal prisons in Tuscon, Arizona, and Englewood, Colorado, respectively. Tou Thao, the former officer who performed crowd control and denied passersby the ability to assist Floyd, is still on trial by stipulated evidence while serving his federal sentence inside Minneapolis City Hall at the Hennepin County jail.

As part of the stipulated evidence trial, Judge Cahill will review written evidence and render a verdict within 90 days of the deadline for the state and defendants to submit evidence on November 17. If convicted, Thao will most likely serve his sentence in Hennepin County jail to be closer to family, despite the fact that he will most likely be placed in solitary confinement.

Before Cahill’s announcement, attorney Ben Crump and co-counsels Antonio Romanucci and Jeff Storms issued a statement wishing Floyd’s family comfort with the outcome. “As the family prepares for yet another holiday season without George, we hope that moments like these continue to bring them comfort, knowing that George’s death was not in vain.”