Jussie Smollett charged with filing false police report

Empire star Jussie Smollett has been charged with filing a false police report, a felony.

Yesterday, CPD Chief Communications Officer Anthony Guglielmi tweeted, “Felony criminal charges have been approved by @CookCountySAO against Jussie Smollett for Disorderly Conduct / Filing a False Police Report. Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest.”
 

Beginning this morning, Smollett was arrested and charged with “Disorderly Conduct / Filing a False Police Report.” A judge set his bail at $100,000 during a 1 p.m. bond hearing.

Misdemeanor punishment can result in a sentence ranging from probation to a year or two in county jail. However, felony punishment can also result in probation, but a much higher prison sentence, from two to ten years if found guilty.

The incident began on Jan. 29, when Smollett captured the attention of the nation by claiming he was attacked by two men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs and referenced “MAGA.”

Since that initial report, the investigation took many twists and turns, with varying degrees of cooperation from Smollett.

According to several sources, Smollett was motivated to initiate the ruse because he was upset about his Empire salary, which is reportedly $65K per episode. The actor hired two brothers to carry out the fake attack.

This is all very sad and disheartening for the Empire cast and crew, the Chicago production community, and the many supporters, nationwide including President Trump, who came out and stood by Smollett. This latest twist has even disheartened our own upbeat publisher, Barbara Roche.