CHICAGO – Actor Jussie Smollett was abruptly cleared of all charges after his earlier egregious fake hate crime report, setting of a firestorm of debate on the matter.
Jussie Smollett, age 36, who “stars” in a TV show called “Empire” is under arrest and in custody of detectives, Chicago police said back in February. Chicao police officials briefed reporters on the investigation prior to the defendant’s appearance in court.
“Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” Chicago PD Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in the press conference. “Bogus police reports cause real harm. They do harm to every legitimate victim who’s in need of support by police.” He noted that Smollett’s highly-publicized fake claim of a racial/political attack could cause investigations into real crimes to falter.
“Smollett took advantage of the pain of racism to further his career… This publicity stunt was a scar the City of Chicago didn’t deserve.”
However, on Tuesday, March 26, the Cook County Attorney’s Office released a statement:
“After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollet’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case.
In the last two years, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has referred more than 5,700 cases for alternative prosecution. This is not a new or unusual practice. An alternative disposition does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities with the case or the evidence. We stand behind the Chicago Police Department’s investigation and our decision to approve charges in this case. We did not exonerate Mr. Smollet. The charges were dropped in return for Mr. Smollet’s agreement to do community service and forfeit his $10,000 bond to the City of Chicago. Without the completion of these terms, the charges would not have been dropped. This outcome was met under the same criteria that would occur for and is available to any defendant with similar circumstances.”
After the stunning announcement, a firestorm of debate was unleashed on how a clear crime could be committed and yet, a perpetrator cleared of charges -16 felonies. Smollett’s attorney said on national TV Wednesday that they may sue someone for defamation or other for other reasons.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: @ChicagosMayor on the Jussie Smollett bombshell, “they better get their stories straight.” https://t.co/BHjpbroTWb pic.twitter.com/RSiXF0TZ3H
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 27, 2019
Prosecutor who dropped charges against Jussie Smollett believes he's guilty https://t.co/aQZfsOwZno pic.twitter.com/Vg8Ulm2OvD
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 27, 2019
Jussie Smollett’s attorney speaks with @GStephanopoulos about whether or not the “Empire” star will sue. https://t.co/BHjpbroTWb pic.twitter.com/r0vyYZ0BUN
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 27, 2019