Jussie Smollett pleads not guilty to all charges accusing him of staging attack.
Actor Jussie Smollett arrives at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on March 14, 2019.Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.Samira Puskar and David K. Licharges that he staged a phony racist, homophobic attackDuring a brief hearing before Cook County Circuit Judge Steven Watkins, Smollett heard the indictment filed against him and agreed to be in court for every hearing.
The judge also granted Smollett permission to travel freely to New York and California to meet with his attorneys there. In a 16-count indictment charging him with disorderly conduct and making a false report, Smollett is accused of lying to police and making up a story that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men in the early morning hours of Jan. 29 in Chicago.
Smollett, who is black and gay, staged the elaborate ruse because he's unhappy with his"Empire" salary and wanted to promote his career, authorities said.
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