Jussie Smollett made headlines in 2019 after he claimed to the Chicago police that he was the victim of a homophobic and racist attack.
Investigators searched for the perpetrators of what was initially described as a “possible hate crime” before ultimately accusing the actor of staging his own assault.
A major development in the case came that same month, when police arrested two possible suspects, but they were released soon after without charges. Multiple reports later surfaced accusing the actor of staging the attack with the help of Abimbola “Bola” Osundairo and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, which he repeatedly and vehemently denied.
He was charged later that month with felony disorderly conduct for making a false police report. The next morning, he was arrested. He was subsequently charged with 16 felony counts. In March 2019, prosecutors dropped the charges.
Nearly a year later a special prosecutor Dan Webb indicted Smollett again, renewing the divisive case. The February 2020 indictment against Smollett stated that he “knew at the time” that there was no crime when he reported to the police that he had been assaulted.
In December 2021, Smollett took the stand where he explained that the attack was “no hoax.” That same month, Smollett was found guilty of five felony counts of disorderly conduct.
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Nicholas Hautman
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