Authorities in Chicago on Wednesday approved felony criminal charges against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett, hours after he was "officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation" for allegedly "filing a false police report" in connection with his Jan. 29 attack claims, police said.

The update in the case was provided by the department's Chief of Communications Officer Anthony Guglielmi on Twitter, who said the Cook County State's Attorney's Office approved the "Disorderly Conduct / Filing a False Police Report" charges.

"Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest," he continued.

So far, Smollet has not surrendered, Chicago police told Fox News. His attorneys were made aware of the charges.

Earlier Wednesday evening, Guglielmi tweeted that detectives on the case were laying out evidence to a grand jury in Cook County.

Smollett's attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson released a statement on their client's behalf.

“Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett 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," the statement said. "Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense."

In a statement to Fox News on Wednesday, 20th Century Fox Television, which produces "Empire," and Fox Entertainment, said they had "no comment at this time."

Smollett, who is openly gay and black, reported that on Jan. 29, he was attacked by two masked men as he was walking home from a Subway restaurant. He claimed that the men shouted racial and anti-gay slurs at him, poured a substance on him, threw a rope around his neck and shouted, "This is MAGA country!"

Investigators combed through surveillance video from the area where Smollett claimed he was attacked but were unsuccessful in locating footage of the beating. They did find and release images of two people they said they wanted to question.


Two individuals who were questioned about the alleged crime were arrested, police told Fox News on Friday. Although police did not elaborate on what crime was potentially committed, they said the individuals were not charged. Authorities had considered them to be suspects, however, according to Guglielmi at the time.

The two men — whom police identified only as Nigerian brothers — were picked up at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport last Wednesday and taken into custody after returning from Nigeria after police learned that at least one of the men worked on "Empire," Guglielmi said. He did not know what the man's job was on the television drama, he said.

Guglielmi confirmed that a search warrant was executed at the Chicago apartment where the men lived but did not have any information about exactly what police found.

On Friday evening, Guglielmi tweeted that "due to new evidence" obtained through questioning, the individuals "were released without charging."

The following day, police said Smollett was no longer considered a victim in their investigation. Police earlier said that the "trajectory of the investigation" shifted and that they wanted to conduct another interview with Smollett about the alleged hate crime.

The police department on Tuesday also rejected a tip they said they'd received about the case earlier that day.

"CPD has confirmed that a tip this morning about a sighting at the residential towers of individuals involved in this alleged incident is unfounded as it was not supported by video evidence obtained by detectives," Guglielmi tweeted.

Amid questions about the alleged attack, Smollett said earlier this month that he was angry and "pissed off" about "attacks" he's received from people that didn't believe or didn't care, about his allegations.

His comments came during an interview with ABC News' Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America."

"At first it was a thing of like, listen, if I tell the truth, then that's it — cause it's the truth," he said. "Then it became a thing of like, oh, how can you doubt that? Like how do you not believe that? It's the truth."

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/empire-actor-jussie-smollett-now-classified-as-a-suspect-in-a-criminal-probe-following-attack-claims-chicago-police-say

So he get's to negotiate a way to turn himself in but they sent in an FBI SWAT Team to arrest Roger Stone.

More from the Democrats, the true party of racism and hypocrisy. Booker and Harris were sure quick to come to this criminals defense, now they have to back pedal on yet another issue.

Wussie Smollett wanted attention.
He's now getting attention.

I dont know what the evidence is or what either lawyer negotiated for. But I am still out on what seems like a he said/he said, until the evidence is revealed.

I sure hope this is not a hoax, but it wont be the first one, regardless of political affiliation, remember Susan Smith?

it was a black guy .... when it was SHE who killed her children for a relationship.

It is amazing what people do for their attention cravings these days. It could be a hoax, or a lie, which makes it sad for people who really go through it, kind of like many liars who I think are latching on to METOO, because of the trend to believe women cant lie about those things, and that men are always guilty.

but I dont want to get off on a tangent.

The whole thing is very sad, because if he is lying, he makes it harder for people who arent. And if the accused are lying, they are making it harder for people who are telling the truth as well, and set precedent for a new defense of claiming the victim did it for recognition(which unfortunately, I firmly believe alot of people do)

Remembering the anthrax scare from a few
years ago...


Prior to his most recent 'dope-on-a-rope' scam,
Smollett is known to have used the U.S. Postal
service, to mail a "suspicious white powdery substance" to
himself.

Such a "hoax", is a federal level felony.

The "suspicious white powdery substance", turned
out to be crushed aspirin.

When the first grab for attention didn't work out so
well for Wussie Smollett, he concocted the
dope-on-a-rope scam.

They use desperation in any way they can. It hasn't worked well for them though.

Haha the liberals never seam to get it thru their head that the truth always comes out! This smelled so fishy from the start! Glad this idiot lying hateful sob got caught!!! He just made it harder for any victim to be believed and this just shows how fast the left will spread the racist hate before all the facts come out!!! Sad that a person thinks a President, Republican or Democrat can hold them back and make their life bad!!! Ummm no!!! Only person that makes a life bad, is the one living it!, No body else!!!

The Smollet story is not confirmed or refuted in any way with evidence, despite media and law enforcement. As those insisting upon the 'witch hunt' for Trump surely believe, sometimes enforcement gets it wrong. That is why, even after grand juries, we still have people found 'not guilty'.

What I find particularly troubling, like I did with Cosby and many of the MeToo stories, is that once something is out there (without evidence) any number of people can mimic that claim, and the number of people mimicking it becomes the only 'evidence' of guilt. In a very 'connected' and publicity hungry culture, that is a very dangerous precedent.


From the beginning, if anyone remembers, there was an initial media 'leak' regarding this story that the perps were paid. A report that the same law enforcement now going after Smollet had refuted. I dont know if they were or could have been kept back from this type of story in the media, but it is very easy once it is out there for them to see it as a shot at reasonable doubt. Then came all the stories(I dont know if they were from law enforcement or the perps) about motive.

first, the motive was to keep from being written off. But the network itself outright DENIED that claim. Then, when that fell through, the motive was that there was a letter that had not gotten enough attention. Now, the motive is that he wanted more pay (how does being a victim of assault get you more pay?).

And lets not forget the narrative that SMollet was lying because he later added details to his account regarding comments that were yelled. But now, he told them to yell them. Yet, No one saw this attack, no witnesses, just the victim and accused, so what would be the point to yell anything? And was he making that part up, or did they yell it cause he told them to?

either media or law enforcement have not had the story straight since the start.


for me, there is enough reasonable doubt on both sides to know what the heck actually happened that night, and I Think its from the way the media has pounced on SO MANY different unsubstantiated assumptions.

All that said, if there is a money trail verifying the alleged payment, that would go a far way. But so far, all I know, is two guys that maybe worked with or around him (not confirmed) later attacked him. They claim the attack was staged (for no witnesses). but just as easily they were bigoted or unliked the actor for whatever reason and planned to attack him. That makes their professional knowledge of him less suspect of a hoax as it is an explanation of their knowledge about him and his habits.


the case is all screwed up. But we have seen before that with juries, one never knows what they will or wont believe.

He faked it.

The date of his supposed attack was Jan 29, 2am. It was about -12 degrees.

Yeah, everybody is out walking at 2am, in -12 weather.

They were wearing red ball caps with MAGA printed on them. Nobody in their right minds would wear a ball cap in -12 weather.

So how come he didn't get frostbite? Get wet with anything, be it water or bleach, and you might have all of five minutes before symptoms of frostbite start showing up.

So now, he's charged with a felony, and out on $100,000 bail. And possibly charged with a federal hate crime.

So who got hurt in this? Conservatives who were home, warm and snug in their beds. MSM has all but dropped coverage on this hoax, hoping it will go away.

His can is in a sling. I hope he takes a few socialist dems with him.

So, I suppose you think folks in Chicago, who are USED to cold weather, hibernate in Winter and have no night life?

your logic unfortunately is irrelevant, because cameras show they WERE out at that time. The argument is not that it didnt happen, but that it happened as a HOAX.


MSM should drop coverage, because someone keeps changing the narrative and it hurts the case on both sides. Oh, he did it because he was being written off. Oh, he wasnt? Then he did it because a previous letter didnt get enough attention? Too far off the intitial claim of motive? Oh, well then he did it to get more money, because everyone knows the way to a promotion is being the victim of an attack.

It doesn't matter why he did it IMHO

I agree. IF he did, motive wouldn't matter except as far as a trial to prove a case.

Motive, means, and opportunity, are the generally expected trio to convince of 'guilt'.

That Trio is out the window when you have video and co-conspirators that fessed up

Not in the US of A. Or else all suspects would be innocent. They all have reasons, its proof that matters.

All that's proven is this event happened. Whether it was a hoax or not is all, at this point, to the word of those accused.

UPDATE: Finally, actual evidence that Smollet was involved, besides just evidence that something happened to Smollet.


https://www.yahoo.com/news/did-police-catch-apos-empire-141814153.html

basically, this is the first I have heard any evidence actually condemning SMOLLET. The article claims that Smollet talked to one of them an hour before the event and then again, 18 hours later. And then, the next day, after that person arrived in Turkey, spoke to them for nine minutes.

I was always open to what evidence actually turned up. This evidence of interactions , although only the last indicates that Smollet initiated the call, seems like involvement. Kind of huge to be a coincidence.

I like to think that if charges as serious as these are brought against someone, they have evidence. Yea, I still have faith in the justice system, Smollet def pizzed off a whole division of investigators, that's for sure.


His TV interview is what convinced me there was something up.

I have faith in the system, yet we still have trials because people are sometimes 'not guilty', however much they thought they may have.

Just looking at it from a perspective juror point of view though, not having seen interviews, what the news was reporting was very inconsistent and the motives downright illogical. It seemed like there was video of the event, proving it happened. And it seemed like there was video of the perps, proving who did it. As to how far SMollet was involved was never clear to me in any way besides the word of those being accused. I was open to finding out what evidence they had of him actually having any knowledge or planning. And now, these phone calls, are some kind of evidence besides just the word of the perps.

Repulican's desperate attempt to make Liberal look racist..

By INTENTIONALLY ignoring this FAR more troubling story...probably because it is a white dude...

http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-rights-empty-rage-against-jussie-smollett-and-loud-silence-on-coast-guard-terrorist-christopher-paul-hasson


"And yet, where is the conservative outrage for the very real acts of violence being perpetrated in their name? The same day that Smollett’s story began to unravel and his eventual arrest became inevitable, Christopher Paul Hasson, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard and a white supremacist with delusions of mass-murdering liberals both known (“Poca Warren” was one his choice descriptors) and unknown, ostensibly in the hopes of creating his own ethnically-cleansed utopia, was captured."

I think we can safely say, there's something seriously wrong with you if you raise alarm bells like Smollet did, he doesn't deserve jail time for this, I'd send him straight to the psych ward for a decade, that'll teach him.

So, I suppose you think folks in Chicago, who are USED to cold weather, hibernate in Winter and have no night life?

your logic unfortunately is irrelevant, because cameras show they WERE out at that time. The argument is not that it didnt happen, but that it happened as a HOAX.


MSM should drop coverage, because someone keeps changing the narrative and it hurts the case on both sides. Oh, he did it because he was being written off. Oh, he wasnt? Then he did it because a previous letter didnt get enough attention? Too far off the intitial claim of motive? Oh, well then he did it to get more money, because everyone knows the way to a promotion is being the victim of an attack.





In-12, everyone thinks long and hard about going out. A social life goes out the window when it turns that cold. There was a wind chill warning that night. Warming centers open up during those days. Furnaces run constantly during that time.(And barely keep up)

Yes, he faked it.

He faked it.

His can is in a sling.