Global InformationJussie Smollett hate crime hoax information
On January 29, 2019, American actor Jussie Smollett approached the Chicago Police Department and reported a hate crime that he had staged earlier that morning.[1][2] He planned the hate crime with two Nigerian brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who had worked as extras on the set of television drama Empire, in which Smollett was a cast member. During the staged attack, which took place on East Lower North Water Street in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood, the disguised brothers shouted racial and homophobic slurs while one poured bleach on Smollett and the other placed a noose around his neck. In addition to falsely reporting that he had been attacked by two unknown individuals, Smollett described one of them as a white male.[3][2] He also told police the men shouted "This is MAGA country"[4] during the attack, a reference to the Trumpist political slogan "Make America Great Again".[5] The brothers later testified that Smollett staged the attack near a surveillance camera so that video of it could be publicized.[6]
On February 13, 2019, Chicago police raided the home of the Osundairo brothers and found records indicating they had been paid $3,500 by Smollett. They had purchased the rope found around Smollett's neck at a hardware store in Ravenswood over the weekend of January 25, and were also seen in security camera footage in the clothing store where they bought gloves, ski masks, and a red hat that police said was used in the attack.[7][8] On February 20, Smollett was indicted for disorderly conduct for paying the brothers to stage a fake hate crime and filing a false police report.[9] His defense team reached a deal with prosecutors on March 26, 2019, in which all charges were dropped in return for Smollett performing community service and forfeiting his $10,000 bond.[10]
On April 12, 2019, the city of Chicago sued Smollett for the $130,000 cost of the investigation. In November he countersued, alleging he was the victim of "mass public ridicule and harm".
On February 11, 2020, after further investigation by a special prosecutor was completed, Smollett was indicted again by a Cook County grand jury on six counts pertaining to making four false police reports.[11][12] In December 2021, Smollett was convicted on five felony counts.[13] On March 10, 2022, Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in county jail[14] and was ordered to pay $120,106 in restitution for the overtime spent by Chicago police officers investigating his false reports.[15] Smollett's attorneys immediately filed an appeal and he was released, pending the outcome of his appeal, on March 16 after posting a personal recognizance bond.
- ^ O'Brien, Brendan (December 10, 2021). "Actor Jussie Smollett found guilty of staging hate crime". Reuters. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
Jussie Smollett, one-time star of the TV drama Empire, was found guilty on Thursday of staging a hate crime against himself in what prosecutors said was a bid to gain sympathy and boost his career. Prosecutors said Smollett, who is Black and gay, lied to police when he told them that he was accosted on a dark Chicago street by two masked strangers in January 2019... The Cook County Circuit Court jury, which deliberated for nine hours, found Smollett, 39, guilty of five of the six felony disorderly conduct counts he faced, one for each time he was accused of lying to police.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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CNN attackwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "'Empire' star Jussie Smollett: Attackers yelled, 'This is MAGA country' during beating". USA Today. January 29, 2019.
- ^ Rothman, Michael (January 30, 2019). "'Empire' star Jussie Smollett brutally attacked, hospitalized in possible hate crime". ABC News. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
CST20211205was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Babwin, Don; Burnett, Sara (December 9, 2021). "Jussie Smollett Convicted of Lying to Police Over 'Staged' Attack". Time. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
{{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help) - ^ "Jussie Smollett Testifies at His Trial: 'There Was No Hoax'". WTTW News. Associated Press. December 6, 2021. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Nemetz, Dave (February 20, 2019). "Jussie Smollett Indicted, Charged With Felony for Filing False Police Report". TVLine. United States. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ChicagoTribunewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Meilhan, Pierre (February 11, 2020). "Jussie Smollett indicted by grand jury on six counts for making false reports, special prosecutor says". CNN. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- ^ Jacobs, Julia (February 11, 2020). "Jussie Smollett Indicted Again in Attack That Police Called a Hoax". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- ^ Jacobs, Julia; Guarino, Mark (December 9, 2021). "Key Moments as Jussie Smollett Is Found Guilty in Fake Hate Crime Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
- ^ Babwin, Bob; Foody, Kathleen (March 10, 2022). "Jussie Smollett sentenced to 150 days in jail in fake attack". AP NEWS. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
- ^ "Jussie Smollett sentencing: Ex-'Empire' actor gets 150 days in jail for hate crime hoax". Associated Press. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022.