Baller Alert Entertainment & Lifestyle
Actor Jussie Smollett has been indicted by a special prosecutor in Chicago over the alleged racist and anti-gay attack on him last year in January 2019.
It’s been a long road for Smollett, who last year claimed that he was attacked by two men who yelled racial and homophobic slurs at him. However, Chicago police officials are convinced the actor lied about the entire incident just to advance his career. Five weeks after the allegations were filed against him, prosecutors dropped the charges, and Smollett agreed to let the city keep his $10,000 bail.
But the police weren’t happy with the city’s decision and began to push back. Then Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, also shared his disagreement with the move, calling the choice a “whitewash of justice.” However, Smollett’s defense attorneys said justice was served and the actor’s record was “wiped clean” of the 16 felony counts that were connected to making the alleged false report. Meanwhile, Smollett has maintained his innocence, saying he has “been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one.”
But, the Chicago police force believes Smollett knew the two male attackers and paid to have them stage the attack. Then-Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Chicago “is still owed an apology.” “I’ve heard that they wanted their day in court with TV cameras so that America could know the truth. They chose to hide behind secrecy and broker a deal to circumvent the judicial system,” he said.
Investigators believe Smollett made the attack up because he was upset with his pay on the hit Fox series #Empire. Police claim Smollett paid the two men $3,500. The two men, Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo agreed to help Smollett because of their friendship with him. Now in the wake of the new charges, according to their lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, the brothers are willing to cooperate with the investigation. “The Osundairo brothers were fully prepared to testify in any criminal proceeding in the Jussie Smollett case,” said Schmidt.⠀⠀⠀
Fox News reports that Smollett allegedly sent a threatening letter to the Chicago studio where “Empire” is shot. The FBI is investigating that letter and has declined to comment.
