Jussie Smollett Charged for Faking Attack, Asked to Surrender to Police

AceShowbizJussie Smollett is officially indicted for allegedly filing a false police report. The 36-year-old actor/singer is charged with a felony count of disorderly conduct after evidence gathered by Chicago police pointed out that he staged his own January 29 attack.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi gave an update on the case via Twitter on Wednesday, February 20, writing, “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.”

Guglielmi’s latest tweet came just a couple hours after he confirmed that Smollett was “officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation by #ChicagoPolice for filing a false police report (Class 4 felony).”

The “Empire” star is due to appear in court for a bond hearing at 1:30 P.M. on Thursday, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. If he’s proven guilty, he could face one to three years in prison, but probation is not ruled out.

Smollett claimed he was attacked by two white men outside his Chicago apartment building on January 29. After police questioned two persons of interest, Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, police “shifted the trajectory of the investigation.” The Nigerian brothers, who appeared as extras on the NBC drama series, were allegedly paid by Smollett to stage the attack.

His attorneys vehemently denied this. Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson said in a statement on Saturday, “As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”

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