'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty in a Chicago court o...
CHICAGO - “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty in a Chicago court on Thursday to new charges that he falsely reported to police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic assault on a city street.
“Yes, sir,” Smollett said in a soft voice as the judge instructed him that he would next return to court on April 12. Some of his relatives sat in the court’s overflow gallery near a handful of fans, some wearing “Empire” shirts. Detectives investigated the incident as a hate crime but local news outlets cited police sources saying it was believed to be a hoax.According to prosecutors, Smollett wrote a $3,500 check to two brothers and gave them $100 to buy the rope, ski masks, gloves and red baseball caps used in the supposed Jan. 29 attack.Police initially arrested the brothers on Feb. 13, after they were recognized from surveillance footage from near the scene of the alleged attack.
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