Jussie Smollett Arrested for Allegedly Lying About His Hate Crime Attack
Jussie Smollett has been arrested after being charged with filing a false police report.
As previously reported, the Empire star was under investigation after the two men—brothers Ola and Abel Osundairom—that allegedly assaulted him in Chicago last month came forward to reveal the actor "orchestrated” the whole attack. Now, in another unexpected twist, Smollett could face up to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine if the police can prove he lied about what he claimed was a racist and homophobic hate crime.
"UPDATE: Chicago Police Detectives take #Empire actor #JussieSmollett into custody to face Class 4 Felony charge (punishable for up to 3yrs in prison) for Disorderly Conduct in Falsifying Police report. Bond Hearing scheduled for 1:30p in Cook County Criminal Court. #ChicagoPolice," Tom Ahern, the Deputy Director of News Affairs and Communications for the Chicago Police Department, tweeted early this morning.
This story just keeps getting more and more shocking. In just one month, Smollett went from being a victim to being accused of staging the whole thing. His future on Empire is also unclear after Variety reported he's being suspended.
Following news of his arrest, his legal team released a statement: “Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked,” Smollett’s attorneys said told People. “Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”
Stay tuned for more on the investigation...