‘Empire’ Star Jussie Smollett Arrested for Filing False Police Report

Nearly four weeks after Jussie Smollett claimed to have been attacked in a hate crime, the Empire star has been arrested for filing a false statement with the Chicago Police Department. Smollett turned himself in to Chicago authorities early Thursday morning, just hours after police filed charges against him for disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. According to Page Six, the actor could face up to three years in prison if convicted.

“Jussie Smollett is under arrest and in custody of detectives,” Anthony Guglielmi, Chiacago PD’s Chief Communications Officer, tweeted Thursday morning. “At 9am at Chicago Police Headquarters, Supt Eddie Johnson, Commander of Area Central Detectives Edward Wodnicki will brief reporters on the investigation prior to the defendants appearance in court.” Page Six reports that Smollett is scheduled to have a bond hearing at 1:30 p.m. today, Thursday, February 21.

Wednesday night, Guglielmi revealed that after weeks of investigation, Smollett had been charged with disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. “Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest,” he tweeted at the time.

On January 29, Smollett claimed to have been attacked by two men yelling racist and homophobic slurs. He claimed that the men punched him, poured bleach on him, and hung a rope around his neck to mimic a lynching. However, as Chicago police began investigating the alleged hate crime, a new narrative emerged. Last week, the two men that police had identified as suspects were released, and on February 16, sources close to the police said that “the new direction of the investigation is now based on the premise that Mr. Smollett was an active participant in the incident.” Smollett’s attorneys denied the allegation at the time, saying, “Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”

Following his arrest Thursday morning, Smollett’s attorneys, Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson, told Page Six that the Empire star “enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked.” Added Pugh and Henderson, “Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”

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