Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin could receive a pension worth more than $1 million during his retirement years, even if he is convicted in connection with the death of George Floyd.

Chauvin is the officer identified as kneeling on Floyd's neck during his arrest in May. He kept his knee on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes, even as Floyd begged that he couldn't breathe.

Chauvin, who had worked for the Minneapolis Police Department since 2001, was promptly fired. He was later charged with third-degree murder in connection with Floyd's death, which has since been upgraded to second-degree murder.

But Chauvin still stands to benefit from a pension program partially funded by taxpayers. A number of states allow for the forfeiture of pensions for employees convicted of felony crimes related to their work. However, Minnesota does not have that policy in place.

Chauvin would likely be eligible for annual payments of around $50,000 a year if he chose to start receiving them at age 55.

The benefits could stretch to $1.5 million or more over a 30-year period.