A grand jury in Chicago has returned a 16-count felony indictment against television actor Jussie Smollett, accusing him of falsely reporting to police that he was the victim of a hate-crime assault, according to court documents made public on Friday.
CHICAGO (Reuters) – A grand jury in Chicago has returned a 16-count felony indictment against television actor Jussie Smollett, accusing him of falsely reporting to police that he was the victim of a hate-crime assault, according to court documents made public on Friday.
Smollett, who is black and openly gay and plays a gay musician on the Fox network hip-hop drama “Empire,” was charged last month in a single-count criminal complaint with lying to police about a supposed racist and homophobic attack by supporters of President Donald Trump.
Neither Smollett’s attorney nor his spokeswoman could immediately be reached for comment on the latest charges. Each count carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
At the time he was initially charged, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Smollett had paid two brothers $35,000 to stage an assault on him in a hoax orchestrated to somehow further his acting career.
