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More than two years after reportinghe was attacked, Jussie Smollettis headed totrial in Chicago.
Below, some of your biggest questions about the trial and his February 2020 indictment, answered.
It contained anti-gay rhetoric and a mysterious white powder.
By February 20, a Cook County, Illinois, grand jury foundprobable causethat Smollett staged the attack.
Smollett was also slapped with 16 more felony counts after allegedly lying to police about the alleged hate crime.
Webb said that hes pursuing the case against Smollett because reasonable grounds exist to further prosecute the actor.
The actor has also since made a counterclaim against the city that is still pending.
Hes scheduled to appear in court on February 24.
Could Smollett end up in jail?Yes.
The charge for filing a false police report is afelony in Illinois.
As a result, Smollett did not face trial and had his record expunged.
Werent there 16 different charges added to his initial charges last year?Yes.
But all 16 of the additional charges were dropped as well on March 26, 2019.
Smolletts attorneys had also requested and were granted that the records be sealed.
He accused the prosecutors of treating Smollett differently from other defendants because of his fame.
The Chicago PD also released several police reports from the case after it was announced the charges were dropped.
(The reports can be readhereandhere.)
To date, the nature of the purported emergency has not been publicly disclosed.
There was also the financial expense of the case.
The initial investigation cost the city a lot in man hours.
Hate crimes are serious and so is the time and effort of the CPD.
He has cost Chicago a lot more than a $10,000 bond.
First, he said, Smollett attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter to himself.
Smollett claimed the payment was for services rendered in the form of fitness training.
The actor was initially interviewed at Northwestern Hospital.
Jussie was not hurt, said Wodnicki, other than a few scratches on his face and some bruising.
He said it appeared that the scratches may have been self-inflicted.
The police interviewed more than 100 people in the area after the supposed attack.
About 35 different police cameras and 20 private-sector cameras were used to track the suspects.
Additionally, Smollett had been reluctant to meet with investigators for afollow-up interview.
Though he eventually providedredacted phone recordsto investigators, its unclear if any of the phone records were edited.
During the hearing, Smollett faced a judge to officially make his plea.
(He paid 10 percent of that, as is standard.)
He was also asked to surrender his passport.
On March 14, 2019, hepled not guiltyto all charges and denied any involvement in fabricating the attack.
He thanked his family and friends, the people of Chicago and around the world who supported him.
He added:
Ive been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one.
This has been an incredibly difficult time.
Honestly, one of the worst of my entire life.
He also signed autographs and said he would continue to fight for the betterment of marginalized people everywhere.
It is a reminder that a victim, in this case, Jussie, deserves dignity and respect.
Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result.
Would Smollett have faced jail time if hed been convicted in 2019?Yes.
The charge for filing a false police report is afelony in Illinois.
This could have also carried jail time.
Smollett could have ended up facing a very public criminal trial.
Both theFBI and U.S.
It also featured a stick figure hanging from a tree.
Other lesser options include probation or even making restitution.
Felons are also disqualified from jury duty for at least seven years.
Felons are also unable to own firearms.
In addition, felons risk losing permits or licenses for work depending on the nature of the crime.
As a convicted felon, Smollett could be denied approval as a foster or adoptive parent.
He would also very likely serve jail time, pay fines, or be put on probation.
It will ultimately depend on a judges discretion and the seriousness of the charges.
One of the counts was, interestingly, giving false information to the police.
The actor reportedly gave policea false namewhen he was arrested, that of his brother Jake.
He was sentenced to three years probation.
He also completed a mandatory alcohol-treatment program.
Smollett hasnt been active on his official social-media accounts for quite some time.
His last Twitter post was in early 2019, and he hasnt posted to Instagram since June 2019.
Hes retreated from public life with no news about either his singing or acting career.
This piece has been updated throughout to incorporate information about the new criminal charges filed against Smollett.
