Jussie Smollett Indicted On 16 Felony Counts By Chicago Grand Jury

Jussie Smollett

Jussie Smollett—‘Empire’ Star Indicted On 16 Felony Counts By Chicago Grand Jury

Many suspected that Empire star Jussie Smollett would be charged with allegedly faking the January attack on him—and they have just been proven right. It was just announced that Smollett has officially been indicted on 16 felony counts by the Chicago grand jury.

Back in February, Jussie Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct and released on $100K bond, following the alleged attack he says was carried out by white supremacists, but overwhelming evidence suggests that he planned the entire encounter on his own. Since being released he’s kept a relatively low profile, however that has likely come to an end with his felony indictment charges.

The 16 felony counts are related to filing a false police report and faking a hate crime. The first 8 counts are related to what Smollett initially told officers about the alleged attack, including being called racial and homophobic slurs, being physically assaulted, having a noose put around his neck, and bleach being poured on him. The remaining 8 counts are related to the second interview Smollett had with police about the alleged attack later in the day after the incident initially occurred.

Each new set of charges carries a possible sentence of probation to four years in prison. Smollett still maintains his innocence throughout the whole ordeal and will likely plead not guilty. However, he (nor his attorney) have released a statement about the current felony indictment charges.

This new development in this bizarre case comes just before Smollett’s popular TV show Empire returns, Wednesday, March 13^th for the second half of its fifth season.

Are you surprised Jussie Smollett has been indicted? Do you think he’ll be convicted? Let us know in the comments