Chicago PD Releases Hundreds of Documents in Jussie Smollett Case
The Chicago Police Department just released hundreds of documents on the Jussie Smollett case, some of which reveal that detectives were well aware that the prosecution was possibly planning to work out a deal with the former Empire star.
Last week, an Illinois judge ordered the criminal case file unsealed, Fox News reports.
According to the documents obtained by Fox 32 Chicago, Chicago detectives knew prosecutors were mulling over a deal that would require Smollett to pay a $10K fine and serve community service. The detectives, however, did not pass along that information to their superiors, Fox32 reports.
“They didn’t pass it on because they didn’t know it (the case) was going to be handled the way it was,” Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
Smollett was indicted for allegedly lying about being the victim of a hate crime on March 7, despite the fact that prosecutors told Chicago PD on Feb. 28 that they could no longer investigate the crime.
Smollett was ultimately charged with 16 felony counts on allegations that he lied to police about the alleged January attack, where he claimed two masked men attacked him, shouted racist and homophobic slurs and poured bleach on him. Cops later said the actor staged the entire attack because he was unhappy with his salary on Empire.
Prosecutors ultimately followed through on their reported plans and dropped all charges against Smollett on March 26. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago PD Superintendent Eddie Johnson both criticized the decision, appearing to be blindsided by the news.
The city of Chicago is now seeking more than $100K from Smollett to cover the cost of the investigation, including overtime for officers.
