Ruling may mean less time for 2 who violated Floyd’s rights

By AMY FORLITI
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge has sided with two former Minneapolis police officers convicted of violating George Floyd’s civil rights, saying the guidelines for their sentences will be calculated in a way that could mean substantially less prison time for them.

U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson handed J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao a victory on Friday when he ruled that the complex formulas for calculating their sentences will be based on involuntary manslaughter, rather than murder, as a starting point.

Magnuson will sentence the men in back-to-back hearings on Wednesday.

It’s still not clear exactly how much time the men could face, as other factors will also work into calculating the sentencing guidelines.