Empire star, Jussie Smollett has been indicted by a Chicago-area grand jury for 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct, after filing what police are c
Empire star, Jussie Smollett has been indicted by a Chicago-area grand jury for 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct, after filing what police are calling a falsified report of a possible hate crime. The Cook County grand jury on Friday counted each part of his story separately meaning that the actor could face up to 64 years in prison if convicted, with each of the 16 charges carrying a possible sentence that ranges from probation to four years in jail.
In January, Smollett was hospitalized after telling police he was the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime, where the perpetrators had placed a noose around his neck and poured chemicals on him. After the story grabbed headlines around the country, Chicago Police arrested Smollett in February, after concluding that he had staged the incident because he was unhappy with his salary on the Fox drama. Two brothers who were initially arrested by Chicago Police in connection with the incident said they were paid $3,500 by Smollet to stage the attack.
In a statement last month, Smollett remained adamant about his story and denied he played any role in the attack. Chicago Police Superintendent, Eddie Johnson said that they gave Smollett the benefit of the doubt until the evidence suggested otherwise. “A lot of these things will come out in court… we classified him as a victim all the way of up until the 47th hour,” Johnson said.
