Actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty Monday morning during an arraignment in Chicago on new felony charges that accuse him of staging and falsely reporting a racist, homophobic attack against himself last year in the city's downtown to advance his career.
His appearance came almost a year to the day prosecutors dropped similar charges against him, sparking national debate.
The Morning Rundown
The new, six-count indictment charging him with falsely reporting he was the victim of a hate crime attack near his Streeterville apartment in January 2019 was announced Feb. 11 by Dan K. Webb, a special prosecutor who was assigned to the case after a judge ruled that the local prosecutor had not properly handled it the first time.
The former "Empire" actor is also facing a lawsuit in federal court where the city of Chicago is seeking to recover the $130,000 spent investigating the case.
Smollett has maintained his innocence.
The actor, who is black and gay, told police on Jan. 29, 2019 that he was attacked by two men who hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him and wrapped a rope around his neck at about 2 a.m. in the upscale neighborhood of Streeterville. He also alleged that his attackers poured a chemical, possibly bleach, over him.
Brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who are believed to be key prosecution witnesses, were also in Chicago's main criminal courthouse Monday. The bodybuilding brothers had been arrested in February 2019 on suspicion that they may have been involved in a crime, but were not charged in the attack. They told police Smollett paid them to stage the attack. Police said Smollett was unhappy with his salary on the Fox television show “Empire,” which dropped him from the cast after his arrest.
Their attorney, Gloria Schmidt Rodriguez, told reporters after the arraignment that the brothers are committed to testifying if they are asked to and that they have been interviewed by the special prosecutor.
"They feel glad that the process is moving forward," Schmidt said.
