Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane was ordered to report to a low-security federal prison in Colorado on August 30th to serve his two-and-a-half year sentence for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, CNN reports. U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson recommended Lane serve his sentence at Federal Prison Camp Duluth. The Federal Bureau of Prisons notes the Englewood prison only has around 1,000 inmates.
Magnuson had ordered Lane to surrender on Oct. 4, but moved up the date because of the complex nature between the ex-officers federal sentence and his sentencing in state court, which is set for Sept. 21.
In February, Lane was convicted with former officers Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng of violating Floyd’s rights in a federal trial. In addition, Lane also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. For the guilty plea, the aiding and abetting second-degree murder was dismissed. Lane agreed to a sentence of three years, expected to run concurrently with his federal sentence as a part of a plea deal.
Minneapolis-area defense attorney Mike Brandt feels the assignment makes sense because factors like prior criminal records were considered in the placement.
“They take into account a variety of factors including the offense for which they are sentenced, their criminal history score, recommendation from the judge, prior history of violence, etc.,” Brandt said “I think because this offense wasn’t necessarily a ‘violent’ offense and he had no prior record, his numbers were lower, qualifying him for a lower-security facility.”