*Attorneys for “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett say charges alleging he lied to police about being attacked by two white men wearing MAGA caps have been dropped.
The actor will appear in court in Chicago later today (03-26-19) for an emergency hearing.
In a statement, Smollett’s lawyers said he was a “vilified” victim. He was facing up 48 years in prison on 16 felony counts of filing a false police report.
Here’s what TMZ is reporting:
Jussie and his lawyers ran to court Tuesday morning in Chicago, where he was facing 16 felony counts of lying to police in the alleged racial and homophobic attack. Â
Jussie will surrender his $10,000 bond. But, that’s it. The case is over.
We’re told the State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx, told Chicago police she was dropping the case because Jussie would have only gotten community service if convicted and she said he has already performed community service so there is no point in prosecuting him. We could not find any record of Smollett doing community service.
We’re told Chicago police are “furious” and feel something untoward is going on with Kim Foxx.Â
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Here’s the statement from Smollet’s lawyers:
‘Today, all charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of the complaint against him.
‘Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement.
‘Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion.
‘That is wrong. It is a reminder that as a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect.
‘Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result.
‘Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends and career.’
Meanwhile, Jussie’s family has also released a statement celebrating the news:
“This morning truth has prevailed and (Jussie) has been vindicated. While many were quick to rush to judgment before hearing the actual truth, we are grateful that the truth about Jussie has come to light. We look forward to bringing the real perpetrators to justice.”
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