Jussie Smollett, who was captured and put in custody Thursday morning, arranged a phony assault on himself as a publicity stunt to “promote his career,” Chicago police authorities said. At a press conference, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the assault was a stunt “orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary.” “This announcement today recognizes that Empire actor Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” he included. The Empire actor was accused of crime untidy direct Wednesday evening for supposedly filing a false police report guaranteeing he was assaulted by two men in Chicago a month ago. Tom Ahern, deputy communications director at CPD, included that Smollett was confronting a class-four felony charge—punishable of as much as three years in prison—for “disorderly conduct in falsifying police report.”
The judge at Smollett’s Thursday hearing in Cook County Criminal Court supposedly set the actor’s bond at $100,000, and requested him to surrender his passport. Prosecutors said Amibola “Abel” Osundairio, one of the siblings who was supposedly paid $3,500 to take an interest in the assault, was a companion of Smollett’s. Smollett “directed Abel to attack him, but not hurt him too badly and give a chance to appear to fight back. Defendant Smollett also said he wanted Ola [Osundairo] to place a rope around his neck, pour gasoline on him and yell, ‘This is MAGA country,’” Assistant State’s Attorney Risa Lanier said.
Topics #Eddie Johnson #Jussie Smollett #Tom Ahern
