Gottfried
New details about the Jussie Smollett alleged attack case have been made public, following a judge’s ruling to unseal legal documents.
In late January, the 36-year-old Empire star made headlines when he told police that two men attacked him on a Chicago street, hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him, poured a chemical liquid on him and put a noose around his neck. He was then treated at a hospital. But following an investigation and amid much public scepticism of his account, he was soon accused of staging the incident.
A grand jury indicted him on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report after allegedly lying to authorities about being the victim of a hate crime. Prosecutors accused the actor of orchestrating the attack with the two alleged suspects, brothers—Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, 27, an extra on Empire and Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo, 25, a stand-in on the series. They also have a fitness business.
The actor pleaded not guilty. In a surprise move, prosecutors then dropped all charges against him, spurring outrage from Chicago police and a $130,000 lawsuit from the city.
A judge recently ruled to unseal the police and other legal records relating to Smollett’s alleged attack case, following media requests. On Thursday, Chicago police released over 450 pages of case reports arrest files and other documents relating to the investigation. Many of the names were redacted.
