Grand jury indicts Jussie Smollett on 16 felony counts
Sat. March 9, 2019 5:18 PM by Carlos Santoscoy
Chicago, IL -
A grand jury in Chicago has indicted out actor Jussie Smollett on 16 felony counts related to making a false report, the AP reported.
The 36-year-old Smollett, who is black and gay, has claimed that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack that allegedly took place January 29 in Chicago. Last month, Smollett was charged with one count of felony disorderly conduct. He was released on $100,000 bail.
Police, who initially investigated the incident as a possible hate crime, have accused Smollett of orchestrating his own attack because he was "dissatisfied with his salary" on the Fox drama Empire. Police believe Smollett paid two brothers $3,500 to stage the attack.
Smollett has denied the charges.
"This redundant and vindictive indictment is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make headlines in order to distract from the internal investigation launched to investigate the outrageous leaking of false information by the Chicago Police Department," Mark Geragos, an attorney for Smollett, said of the grand jury's indictment, which he described as "prosecutorial overkill."
Smollett "adamantly maintains his innocence," Geragos added.
The indictment dated Thursday was made public on Friday.
(Related: Jussie Smollett dropped from remainder of Empire season.)
The 36-year-old Smollett, who is black and gay, has claimed that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack that allegedly took place January 29 in Chicago. Last month, Smollett was charged with one count of felony disorderly conduct. He was released on $100,000 bail.
Police, who initially investigated the incident as a possible hate crime, have accused Smollett of orchestrating his own attack because he was "dissatisfied with his salary" on the Fox drama Empire. Police believe Smollett paid two brothers $3,500 to stage the attack.
Smollett has denied the charges.
"This redundant and vindictive indictment is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make headlines in order to distract from the internal investigation launched to investigate the outrageous leaking of false information by the Chicago Police Department," Mark Geragos, an attorney for Smollett, said of the grand jury's indictment, which he described as "prosecutorial overkill."
Smollett "adamantly maintains his innocence," Geragos added.
The indictment dated Thursday was made public on Friday.
(Related: Jussie Smollett dropped from remainder of Empire season.)
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine