Jussie Smollett has pleaded not guilty on 16 counts of filing a false police report.
The ‘Empire’ star has entered a plea of not guilty to the courts, according to The Hollywood Reporter, ahead of his next appearance in court on April 17. Jussie’s lawyer Mark Geragos previously insisted his client is “adamantly” maintaining his innocence ahead of the case going to trial.
In a statement, he said: “The fact of an indictment was not unexpected. We knew that there is no way they would expose their evidence to a public airing and subject their witnesses to cross-examination. What is unexpected, however, is the prosecutorial overkill in charging 16 separate counts against Jussie. This redundant and vindictive indictment is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make headlines in order to distract from the internal investigation launched to investigate the outrageous leaking of false information by the Chicago Police Department and the shameless and illegal invasion of Jussie’s privacy in tampering with his medical records. Jussie adamantly maintains his innocence even if law enforcement has robbed him of that presumption.”
Of the 16 new counts, eight charges involve false statements given to Officer Muhammed Baig, while the other eight are for a more detailed account given to Detective Kim Murray. Jussie had told police he was assaulted at 2 am by two men who shouted homophobic and racist slurs at him and put a noose around his neck. In the more detailed account, he claimed that he fought back and that one of the attackers was white. The Hollywood Reporter reported the Nigerian brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo were critical to building a case against the ‘Empire’ star. The two brothers helped Smollett orchestrate the faux assault and then worked with detectives to build the department’s case against the actor.
The indictment read: “Jussie Smollett knew that at the time of this transmission there was no reasonable ground for believing that such an offense had been committed.”
As Smollett continues to maintain his innocence, the actor is set to go into trial guns blazing to defend himself against the 16 counts failed against him. According to The Guardian, “Watkins granted Smollett’s request to be allowed to meet with lawyers in New York and California but said the actor must give the court at least 48 hours’ prior notice. He scheduled the next hearing for 17 April.”
Jussie Smollett began his acting career in 1987 appearing in movies such as The Mighty Ducks before transitioning to the small screen. The California native had earlier claimed that he was attacked early January 29th, 2019 by two men who yelled “racial and homophobic slurs.” The Sauce reported, Smollett alleged that one attacker put a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on him before running away.
