Two former Minneapolis police officers were sentenced to jail on Wednesday for their participation in the May 2020 murder of George Floyd, a Black man whose death prompted nationwide protests against racial injustice.

On federal charges, US District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced J. Alexander Kueng, 28, to three years in jail and Tou Thao, 36, to three and a half years in prison.

Kueng and Thao were found guilty in February of violating Floyd's civil rights by displaying "deliberate indifference" to his medical needs and failing to interfere when Derek Chauvin used "unreasonable force."

Kueng, Thao, and Chauvin were among the four police officers involved in Floyd's arrest for allegedly purchasing a pack of smokes with a counterfeit $20 cash.

A bystander captured Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the department, kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed Floyd for about 10 minutes before Floyd blacked out and died.

He has been convicted of murder and served over twenty years in prison.

Thomas Lane, the fourth officer, was also convicted of breaching Floyd's civil rights in February and sentenced to two and a half years in jail.

Lane's attorneys requested a lower punishment because he had proposed laying Floyd on his side and attempting CPR.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke stated in a statement, "All four officers involved in the tragic death of George Floyd have now been convicted in federal court, sentenced to prison, and held accountable for their crimes."

Clarke stated that the federal prosecution of all policemen involved in the killing of George Floyd should send a clear and powerful message that the Department of Justice will never accept the unlawful abuse of power or victimization of Americans by any member of law enforcement.

Kueng and Lane assisted in restraining Floyd as Thao repelled bystanders pleading with the officers to release Floyd, lying face down on the ground and claiming he could not breathe.

Lane and another rookie officer, Kueng, was detained by Floyd after a shopkeeper accused him of using the counterfeit currency in his business.

Two experienced officers, Chauvin and Thao, joined them as they fought to get Floyd into their van.

Lane pled guilty in May to separate state charges of second-degree manslaughter aid and abetment.

In late October, Kueng and Thao will stand trial on state manslaughter charges.