[ Hopefully the vile piece of shit will still face Federal and civil charges. ]
<header organizationurl="http://www.foxnews.com/" class="article-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 24px 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: inherit; font-family: Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: center;">Jussie Smollett hoax charges dropped, but federal investigation, lawsuits could be next
By Jessica Sager | Fox News
</header><iframe src="https://static.foxnews.com/static/orion/html/video/iframe/vod.html?v=20190325153229#uid=fnc-embed-1" border="0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay" scrolling="no" mozallowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; width: 896px;"></iframe>
Former Chicago Police Officer Says Smollett Has Been Consistent About One Thing: 'Lying'
Former Chicago Police Officer Says Smollett Has Been Consistent About One Thing: 'Lying'
Jussie Smollett may have had the criminal charges related to his alleged staged hate crime dropped, but the "Empire" star may still face both federal charges and civil lawsuits in connection to the scandal.
On Tuesday, the Cook County State's Attorney dropped 16 felony counts against the actor stemming from his allegedly false police report about a hate attack he claimed to have suffered on Jan. 29.
Though he escaped criminal charges, the legal fallout may not be over for Smollett.
FOX 'GRATIFIED' BY DISMISSAL OF CHARGES AGAINST JUSSIE SMOLLETT
Former Cook County prosecutor-turned-criminal-defense-attorney Andrew Weisberg told Fox News on Wednesday that Smollett's case is unusual for several reasons — most notably the speed at which his charges were dismissed. Smollett was indicted on March 8 and his charges were dismissed on March 26.
"It was such a quick turnaround. Pretrial diversions are usually a year long, and this happened so quickly," Weisberg said, adding that he suspects the case's notoriety accelerated the proceedings.
OPINION: PROSECUTORS JUST SPIT IN THE FACE OF CHICAGO COPS IN JUSSIE SMOLLETT CASE
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)]Video
Weisberg, who was working in the courthouse the day the dismissal was announced, was baffled by the proceedings. "I figured they had a plea agreement and I was shocked when I heard the dismissal," he admitted. "I can't figure it out. I don't think it's anything corrupt or anything terrible — but it's an unusually great outcome for [Smollett]."
Weisberg explained that in a best-case scenario for similar false police report cases that he's worked on, the defendant will get deferred prosecution, but that it's still somewhat rare because of the amount of work police put in to investigate claims. In most cases, he said, a defendant may be sentenced to probation and have to pay restitution to the cover city's estimated expenses.
'EMPIRE' STAR TARAJI P. HENSON SPEAKS OUT ON JUSSIE SMOLLETT'S CHARGES BEING DISMISSED
In one similar case he recently worked on, Weisberg said that police told prosecutors they put in too much work to drop the charges and that the city estimated the expenses to investigate the false claim amounted to about $8,400 for three detectives in a single day's work. "In [Smollett's] case, they put in 10 times the work. This would cost [the city] hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars."
Weisberg said that the repercussions of the dismissal will reverberate throughout Cook County going forward, noting, "A lot of criminal defense lawyers are the ones who will bring this [case] up and ask for similar treatment."
ROBIN ROBERTS ON JUSSIE SMOLLETT INTERVIEW: IT WAS A 'NO-WIN' SITUATION
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)]Video
Smollett also may face federal charges of mail fraud, as the FBI is investigating whether or not he also sent himself hate mail laced with white powder a week before the alleged attack occurred. If convicted, Smollett could face up to a decade in prison.
Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano previously said that dropping charges in a case like this is "almost unheard of" and offered two possible explanations for alternatives: "Either because the government could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt notwithstanding the evidence it has, or because it decided to grant Smollett what's called a 'deferred prosecution,' which means a short period of probation, at the end of which the charges would be dismissed." A deferred prosecution would also expunge Smollett's record at the end of the probationary period.
KAMALA HARRIS 'COMPLETELY CONFUSED' OVER JUSSIE SMOLLETT CHARGES BEING DROPPED
On Wednesday, Napolitano said on "Varney & Co." that due to Smollett's expungement, he can now legally say under oath that he was never indicted for the alleged crime and that if a judge's mind were to be changed about the case, its records could be unsealed.
However, Smollett could never be charged in relation to the alleged hoax ever again due to the language of the nolle pros ruling, Weisberg said.
BRIAN STELTER CAUTIONED BY CNN COLLEAGUE STEVE CORTES: 'DON'T DISRESPECT THE COPS' IN SMOLLETT CASE
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is also considering suing the actor to recoup some of the money the city wasted on the lengthy investigation, according to reports, though Weisberg thinks that is unlikely to actually happen because the city would have to re-litigate the entire case in civil court.
Smollett's attorney, Patricia Brown-Holmes, said in a press conference Tuesday that it was not a deferred prosecution and that the records in the case were sealed.
Smollett, 36, told police he was attacked by two masked men as he was walking home from a Chicago Subway sandwich shop at approximately 2 a.m. Smollett alleged that the masked men beat him, taunted him with homophobic and racial slurs and yelled: "This is MAGA country."
LATE NIGHT HOSTS ON JUSSIE SMOLLETT ESCAPING CHARGES: R. KELLY AND FELICITY HUFFMAN ARE 'FREE TO GO'
Police later determined that Smollett's masked assailants were brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo, who authorities also identified as being the men seen on surveillance video purchasing the rope that was hung around Smollett's neck during the alleged attack. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told the press at the time that the brothers were cooperating with authorities and the investigation was pivoting from a hate crime investigation into a case of false reporting, transforming Smollett from an alleged victim in the case into a suspect.
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)]Video[/COLOR]
Smollett pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence throughout the case.
LATE NIGHT HOSTS ON JUSSIE SMOLLETT CHARGES BEING DISMISSED: R. KELLY, FELICITY HUFFMAN ARE 'FREE TO GO'
After news of Smollett's dropped charges, First Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Magats told the press that he still believes Smollett filed a false police report and that prosecutors in the case "stand behind the investigation and the facts ... this was not an exoneration."
Smollett reportedly performed community service and voluntarily forfeited his $10,000 bond, Magats said, making it a "fair and just outcome" for the case — even though that outcome infuriated the Chicago police and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
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<header organizationurl="http://www.foxnews.com/" class="article-header" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 24px 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: medium; line-height: inherit; font-family: Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: center;">Jussie Smollett hoax charges dropped, but federal investigation, lawsuits could be next
By Jessica Sager | Fox News
</header><iframe src="https://static.foxnews.com/static/orion/html/video/iframe/vod.html?v=20190325153229#uid=fnc-embed-1" border="0" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay" scrolling="no" mozallowfullscreen="" webkitallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; height: 1px; min-height: 100%; width: 896px;"></iframe>
Former Chicago Police Officer Says Smollett Has Been Consistent About One Thing: 'Lying'
Former Chicago Police Officer Says Smollett Has Been Consistent About One Thing: 'Lying'
Jussie Smollett may have had the criminal charges related to his alleged staged hate crime dropped, but the "Empire" star may still face both federal charges and civil lawsuits in connection to the scandal.
On Tuesday, the Cook County State's Attorney dropped 16 felony counts against the actor stemming from his allegedly false police report about a hate attack he claimed to have suffered on Jan. 29.
Though he escaped criminal charges, the legal fallout may not be over for Smollett.
FOX 'GRATIFIED' BY DISMISSAL OF CHARGES AGAINST JUSSIE SMOLLETT
Former Cook County prosecutor-turned-criminal-defense-attorney Andrew Weisberg told Fox News on Wednesday that Smollett's case is unusual for several reasons — most notably the speed at which his charges were dismissed. Smollett was indicted on March 8 and his charges were dismissed on March 26.
"It was such a quick turnaround. Pretrial diversions are usually a year long, and this happened so quickly," Weisberg said, adding that he suspects the case's notoriety accelerated the proceedings.
OPINION: PROSECUTORS JUST SPIT IN THE FACE OF CHICAGO COPS IN JUSSIE SMOLLETT CASE
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)]VideoWeisberg, who was working in the courthouse the day the dismissal was announced, was baffled by the proceedings. "I figured they had a plea agreement and I was shocked when I heard the dismissal," he admitted. "I can't figure it out. I don't think it's anything corrupt or anything terrible — but it's an unusually great outcome for [Smollett]."
Weisberg explained that in a best-case scenario for similar false police report cases that he's worked on, the defendant will get deferred prosecution, but that it's still somewhat rare because of the amount of work police put in to investigate claims. In most cases, he said, a defendant may be sentenced to probation and have to pay restitution to the cover city's estimated expenses.
'EMPIRE' STAR TARAJI P. HENSON SPEAKS OUT ON JUSSIE SMOLLETT'S CHARGES BEING DISMISSED
In one similar case he recently worked on, Weisberg said that police told prosecutors they put in too much work to drop the charges and that the city estimated the expenses to investigate the false claim amounted to about $8,400 for three detectives in a single day's work. "In [Smollett's] case, they put in 10 times the work. This would cost [the city] hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars."
Weisberg said that the repercussions of the dismissal will reverberate throughout Cook County going forward, noting, "A lot of criminal defense lawyers are the ones who will bring this [case] up and ask for similar treatment."
ROBIN ROBERTS ON JUSSIE SMOLLETT INTERVIEW: IT WAS A 'NO-WIN' SITUATION
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)]VideoSmollett also may face federal charges of mail fraud, as the FBI is investigating whether or not he also sent himself hate mail laced with white powder a week before the alleged attack occurred. If convicted, Smollett could face up to a decade in prison.
Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano previously said that dropping charges in a case like this is "almost unheard of" and offered two possible explanations for alternatives: "Either because the government could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt notwithstanding the evidence it has, or because it decided to grant Smollett what's called a 'deferred prosecution,' which means a short period of probation, at the end of which the charges would be dismissed." A deferred prosecution would also expunge Smollett's record at the end of the probationary period.
KAMALA HARRIS 'COMPLETELY CONFUSED' OVER JUSSIE SMOLLETT CHARGES BEING DROPPED
On Wednesday, Napolitano said on "Varney & Co." that due to Smollett's expungement, he can now legally say under oath that he was never indicted for the alleged crime and that if a judge's mind were to be changed about the case, its records could be unsealed.
However, Smollett could never be charged in relation to the alleged hoax ever again due to the language of the nolle pros ruling, Weisberg said.
BRIAN STELTER CAUTIONED BY CNN COLLEAGUE STEVE CORTES: 'DON'T DISRESPECT THE COPS' IN SMOLLETT CASE
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is also considering suing the actor to recoup some of the money the city wasted on the lengthy investigation, according to reports, though Weisberg thinks that is unlikely to actually happen because the city would have to re-litigate the entire case in civil court.
Smollett's attorney, Patricia Brown-Holmes, said in a press conference Tuesday that it was not a deferred prosecution and that the records in the case were sealed.
Smollett, 36, told police he was attacked by two masked men as he was walking home from a Chicago Subway sandwich shop at approximately 2 a.m. Smollett alleged that the masked men beat him, taunted him with homophobic and racial slurs and yelled: "This is MAGA country."
LATE NIGHT HOSTS ON JUSSIE SMOLLETT ESCAPING CHARGES: R. KELLY AND FELICITY HUFFMAN ARE 'FREE TO GO'
Police later determined that Smollett's masked assailants were brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo, who authorities also identified as being the men seen on surveillance video purchasing the rope that was hung around Smollett's neck during the alleged attack. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told the press at the time that the brothers were cooperating with authorities and the investigation was pivoting from a hate crime investigation into a case of false reporting, transforming Smollett from an alleged victim in the case into a suspect.
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)]Video[/COLOR]Smollett pleaded not guilty and maintained his innocence throughout the case.
LATE NIGHT HOSTS ON JUSSIE SMOLLETT CHARGES BEING DISMISSED: R. KELLY, FELICITY HUFFMAN ARE 'FREE TO GO'
After news of Smollett's dropped charges, First Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Magats told the press that he still believes Smollett filed a false police report and that prosecutors in the case "stand behind the investigation and the facts ... this was not an exoneration."
Smollett reportedly performed community service and voluntarily forfeited his $10,000 bond, Magats said, making it a "fair and just outcome" for the case — even though that outcome infuriated the Chicago police and Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
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You can't make this up.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life...st-anthony-anderson-hopes-he-wins/3298234002/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life...st-anthony-anderson-hopes-he-wins/3298234002/
Guy tries to throw a 200 gallon bomb of fuel on the race wars and the NAACP nominates him for an award, and the host hopes he wins!!!
Sometimes I think the majority of blacks do want the race wars to erupt worse than ever.
This is very sick and sad, just like the guy getting off before there ever was a trial. A tree of blacks supposedly had their hands in that including our former President and his wife.
What is the cure? And I'm not joking. No cheap answers, please.
Sometimes I think the majority of blacks do want the race wars to erupt worse than ever.
This is very sick and sad, just like the guy getting off before there ever was a trial. A tree of blacks supposedly had their hands in that including our former President and his wife.
What is the cure? And I'm not joking. No cheap answers, please.
[ Fry the bastard ]
Jussie Smollett has been indicted by a grand jury on six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police about his claims of a racist and homophobic attack against him in January 2019, a special prosecutor announced on Tuesday.
Special prosecutor Dan Webb issued a statement announcing the indictment against the 37-year-old former "Empire" star. He is due in court on Feb. 24, Fox 32 reported citing a source.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT SUES CITY OF CHICAGO FOR MALICIOUS PROSECUTION
Smollett, who is black and gay, originally was charged last year with disorderly conduct for allegedly staging the attack and lying about it to investigators. The charges were dropped in March 2019 with little explanation, angering police officials and then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)]Video[/COLOR]
Cook County Judge Michael Toomin in August appointed Webb, a former U.S. attorney, as a special prosecutor to look into why the charges were dropped. Webb was also charged with looking into whether Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx's calls with a Smollett relative and an ex-aide of former first lady Michelle Obama unduly influenced the decision to drop charges. Foxx recused herself from the case but continued to weigh in.
CHICAGO POLICE UNIONS CALL FOR COOK COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY KIM FOXX TO RESIGN FOLLOWING JUSSIE SMOLLETT CASE
In January 2019, Smollett told police he was attacked by two masked men as he was walking home from a Chicago Subway sandwich shop at approximately 2 a.m. The actor alleged that the masked men taunted him with homophobic and racial slurs, beat him and looped a noose around his neck before fleeing.
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)]Video[/COLOR]
He said his attackers, at least one of whom he said was white, told him he was in “MAGA country” — a reference to President Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Several weeks later, investigators alleged that Smollett had paid two friends $3,500 to help him stage the attack because he was unhappy with his salary as an actor on “Empire” and wanted to drum up publicity for his career.
Jussie Smollett has been indicted by a grand jury on six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police about his claims of a racist and homophobic attack against him in January 2019, a special prosecutor announced on Tuesday.
Special prosecutor Dan Webb issued a statement announcing the indictment against the 37-year-old former "Empire" star. He is due in court on Feb. 24, Fox 32 reported citing a source.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT SUES CITY OF CHICAGO FOR MALICIOUS PROSECUTION
Smollett, who is black and gay, originally was charged last year with disorderly conduct for allegedly staging the attack and lying about it to investigators. The charges were dropped in March 2019 with little explanation, angering police officials and then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)]Video[/COLOR]Cook County Judge Michael Toomin in August appointed Webb, a former U.S. attorney, as a special prosecutor to look into why the charges were dropped. Webb was also charged with looking into whether Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx's calls with a Smollett relative and an ex-aide of former first lady Michelle Obama unduly influenced the decision to drop charges. Foxx recused herself from the case but continued to weigh in.
CHICAGO POLICE UNIONS CALL FOR COOK COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY KIM FOXX TO RESIGN FOLLOWING JUSSIE SMOLLETT CASE
In January 2019, Smollett told police he was attacked by two masked men as he was walking home from a Chicago Subway sandwich shop at approximately 2 a.m. The actor alleged that the masked men taunted him with homophobic and racial slurs, beat him and looped a noose around his neck before fleeing.
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2)]Video[/COLOR]He said his attackers, at least one of whom he said was white, told him he was in “MAGA country” — a reference to President Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Several weeks later, investigators alleged that Smollett had paid two friends $3,500 to help him stage the attack because he was unhappy with his salary as an actor on “Empire” and wanted to drum up publicity for his career.
