Not so fast, Jussie. Eleven months ago, the former Empire star dodged the prosecution bullet for staging a hate crime. But the bullet is now biting back. The Chicago Grand Jury announced Tuesday morning that Smollett will be indicted on six counts of disorderly conduct for false claims he made last January.
Smollett maintains his innocence, but rumor has it that the tv-star was allegedly dissatisfied with his salary on the Fox series, Empire. It’s alleged that Smollett’s motivation behind the so-called hoax was to gain media publicity, therefore becoming a more valuable cast member.
On January 29, 2019, Jussie Smollett, who is openly gay, told Chicago PD that he had been the victim of an attack. Allegedly, two masked men jumped Smollett yelling racial and homophobic slurs—they even wrapped a noose around the actor’s neck. After active investigations, the Chicago PD identified the two assailants and made connections between them and Smollett. Small world? Consequently, the Empire star quickly turned from victim to suspect.
The city of Chicago is currently pursuing a civil suit against Smollett for $130,000. The city wants the actors’ reimbursement for money spent on the investigation as well as officers’ overtime. The police department notes that other costs of the investigation apparently near the half-million-dollar mark.
The City’s Law Department announced that there are no intentions of dropping the suit in the wake of Smollett’s new indictment.
“We anticipate reviewing the indictment, and the City stands by our original complaint to recover costs for Mr. Smollett’s false statements,” the statement said. “We appreciate the hard work of the Chicago Police Department detectives on this case and the initial investigation.”
The two men who allegedly attacked Smollett are expected to testify against the actor. The alleged assailants are claiming that Smollett was the mastermind behind the assault.
Smollett is scheduled to appear in the Chicago court on February 24.
What do you guys think of Jussie Smollett? Is he telling the truth? Or is he looking for clout?
Lastly, let us know your thoughts in the comments!
