The deadline set by outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel for ‘Empire’ star Jussie Smollett to reimburse the city of Chicago for “investigative costs” ends at midnight Thursday; giving the controversial actor just hours to pay the Police Department upwards of $130,000.
“Thursday marks seven days since Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s law chief sent the ‘Empire’ actor a letter demanding the payment. The March 28 letter said he must pay within seven days but didn’t specify a response if he didn’t,” reports Fox News.
“Nonpayment will likely cause the city to sue Smollett, prompting a civil trial where standards for proving he staged the incident will be lower than in criminal court,” adds the author.
Chicago prosecutors stunned millions of Americans just days ago when they abruptly dropped 16 felony charges against Smollett for allegedly perpetrating a hate crime hoax and filing phony police reports in the immediate aftermath.
Read the full report at Fox News.
BREAKING: Prosecutors Drop ALL CHARGES Against ‘Empire’ Star Jussie Smollett
Prosecutors in Chicago dropped all charges against ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett Tuesday morning; ending all proceedings over allegations he intentionally staged a “hate crime” just months ago.
“Calling himself a man of faith ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett said Tuesday that he felt vindicated after the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office said it would drop all charges against him,” reports Fox News.
“Not for a moment was it in vain. I’ve been truthful and consistent on every level since day one,” he said. “I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I was accused of. “
“It’s unclear at this time why the court decided not to proceed with prosecution, but the former ‘Empire’ star is expected to give a statement after he leaves the courthouse later today,” adds Fox.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
CHICAGO MAYOR: Decision to Drop Jussie Smollett Charges a ‘Whitewash of Justice’
Outgoing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel weighed-in Tuesday on his city’s decision to abandon 16 felony charges against ‘Empire’ star Jussie Smollett; calling the move an obvious “whitewash of justice.”
“This is a whitewash of justice. A grand jury could not have been clearer… Where is the accountability in the system? You can’t have -because of one person’s position- one set of rules apply to them and another set of rules apply to everybody else,” said the mayor.
"This is a whitewash of justice," @ChicagosMayor says of Jussie Smollett's charges being dropped. "A grand jury could not have been clearer. Where is the accountability in the system?" pic.twitter.com/jBsrh5skTr
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 26, 2019
City prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges against Smollett weeks after he was indicted for allegedly staging a “hate crime” and filing a false police report regarding the incident.