webfact Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Actor Smollett staged 'hate crime' hoax to advance career: Chicago police By Karen Pierog and Suzannah Gonzales Actor Jussie Smollett, 36, appears in a booking photo provided by the Chicago Police Department in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., February 21, 2019. Courtesy Chicago Police Department/Handout via REUTERS CHICAGO (Reuters) - Actor Jussie Smollett paid two brothers thousands of dollars to beat him in a staged racist and homophobic attack because he was unhappy with his salary on the hip-hop TV drama "Empire," Chicago's police chief said on Thursday. Smollett, who is black and openly gay, was arrested on Thursday and charged with lying to police about the alleged attack on Jan. 29. Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was visibly angered as he condemned his actions. Police did not spell out how the 36-year-old actor hoped to boost his salary by staging the supposed attack by supporters of President Donald Trump. "Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career," Johnson told a news conference, adding that the actor paid $3,500 to the brothers to stage the supposed hate crime. "This stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with this salary. He concocted a story about being attacked," Johnson said. "We gave him the benefit of the doubt." Police did not say anything about the amount of Smollett's salary. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of one to three years. A judge set bail at $100,000 and ordered Smollett to surrender his passport. The actor was in the process of being released after paying 10 percent of the amount on Thursday afternoon. Smollett had said two apparent Trump supporters struck him and put a noose round his neck while shouting "This is MAGA country," referring to Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. It was initially reported that an unknown substance was poured over him, but Johnson on Thursday said that was unclear. "@JussieSmollett - what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA," Trump wrote on Twitter on Thursday. The Smollett case has become a sensation in the United States as it tapped in to increasingly heated political divisions since the election of Trump in November 2016. Critics of Trump have said his rhetoric has fuelled racism and violence, while the president's supporters say the press has been too quick to embrace any news that appears to cast Trump and his supporters in a bad light. 20th Century Fox Television, which airs "Empire," said in a statement on Thursday that it understands the seriousness of the matter and respects the legal process. "We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options," the statement said. Smollett wrote the brothers a $3,500 personal check and gave them $100 to buy the rope, ski masks, gloves and red MAGA-style baseball caps that were used in the supposed attack, according to court papers. A spokesman for Smollett's lawyers, Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson, said on Thursday in an email, "once we are ready to make statement we will do so." On Wednesday, they had said they were conducting a thorough investigation to form an aggressive defence. 'THROUGH THE MUD' Police interviewed more than 100 people, reviewed video from more than 55 surveillance cameras and executed more than 50 search warrants during the investigation. Johnson told reporters that Smollett had first tried to gain attention by sending himself a threatening letter filled with "racial, homophobic and political language." "When that didn't work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago's reputation through the mud," the police chief said. On Feb. 13, police arrested the two brothers who were recognised from surveillance footage of the area where Smollett said the attack occurred. One of the brothers worked with Smollett on "Empire," according to police and their lawyer. Near the end of the 48 hours in which police are allowed to detain potential suspects without charging them, the brothers "decided to confess to the entirety of what the plot was," Johnson said. They became cooperating witnesses and were released two days later without charges. Since the alleged attack, Smollett had received support on social media, including from several celebrities and Democratic presidential candidates. Others were sceptical of the incident, which Smollett said occurred around 2 a.m. on a Chicago street during one of the city's coldest weeks in recent history. In an interview with "Good Morning America" last week, Smollett said he was angry that some people questioned his story, and he suggested the disbelief might come from racial bias. Johnson called for Smollett to apologise to the city and said he was worried that real victims might now be reluctant to come forward. "My concern is that hate crimes will now be publicly met with a level of scepticism," Johnson told reporters, adding that the city had bigger problems. "I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention," the police chief said. (Reporting by Karen Pierog and Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago and Gina Cherelus in New York; Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Wis.; and by Gabriella Borter and Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Matthew Lewis) -- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cryingdick Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 The award for biggest loser of the year goes too.... this guy. He is no longer a human but an internet meme. I hope he gets some time for this. What are you in for?- Self inflicted hate crime- Look out guys we have a bad ass over here- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samui Bodoh Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 What a sad story. This young man was (proverbially) on top of the world with a fine career ahead of him, but decided to toss it all away for no real gain. One has to think that there are some mental issues here, and I hope that he gets the help that he clearly needs. That said, I think the authorities should throw the book at him, including jail time. It is unconscionable that people fake serious incidents/make up crap for their own personal benefit; the US sees too much of that already from its President. This is clearly one of those cases where the law needs to be applied with maximum force to act as a deterrent against others who might be thinking of a similar incident. A few years in jail might make others pause before they contemplate such stupidity. Talk about a lose-lose-lose situation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Misquoted post, off-topic, troll posts and replies reported and removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalmagic Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Pathetic, greedy and selfish git. For his own benefit he has made victims of real hate crimes less credible. Throw several books at him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM07 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 This guy must be one of the dumbest persons on the planet! If these allegations are true, he needs a stern talking to and some serious punishment! What an idiot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lannarebirth Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Yeah, I guess you have to charge this guy but his real crimes would seem to be vanity, outrage, hubris and a less than middling intelligence. There's a global pandemic and it appears he caught the bug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seajae Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 at least if he goes to jail he will be popular with the "boys"..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klauskunkel Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 He lost $3,500. He lost his job. He lost his career. He will lose several years in prison. He gained some bruises. He is an idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lust Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 It would be funny if now he gets the piss beaten out of him by some real racists. Good luck reporting that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAMHERE Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 7 minutes ago, klauskunkel said: He lost $3,500. He lost his job. He lost his career. He will lose several years in prison. He gained some bruises. He is an idiot. Did Not Lose His Job, the show is sticking with him. Because basically he is right according to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 An inflammatory troll post removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psimbo Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 I hope they throw the book at him for playing on current racial tensions in Chicago. he will play the race card, the gay card and any other card his slimy lawyers will deal from the bottom of the deck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thainesss Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 4 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said: That said, I think the authorities should throw the book at him, including jail time. It is unconscionable that people fake serious incidents/make up crap for their own personal benefit; the US sees too much of that already from its President. I love how you guys can bend space-time with your Trump deflections. Every major politician on the left jumped all over this in the beginning and blamed Trump and the right, even had celebrities literally crying on TV shows outright blaming Pence for this (Riiight). There have even been real politically motivated assaults and hate crimes against conservatives over the last few days but nobody gives a crap and it gets no airtime because it doesn't fit the lefty narrative. But in the end, thats the problem with liberalism. Its an ideology of hypocrisy. An ideology filled with just as much hate they accuse the right of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roobaa01 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 the us hoax media cnn, wapo, nytimes, nbc etc. tried to suppress news coverage about the privileged black man smollet only after fox news brought it up others jumped the wagon also another example of a mentally unfit black democrat is kamala harris for she called the crime a modern day time lynching,what a political idiot. such democratic females like harris run for presidency. wbr roobaa01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spidey Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 5 minutes ago, roobaa01 said: the us hoax media cnn, wapo, nytimes, nbc etc. tried to suppress news coverage about the privileged black man smollet only after fox news brought it up others jumped the wagon also another example of a mentally unfit black democrat is kamala harris for she called the crime a modern day time lynching,what a political idiot. such democratic females like harris run for presidency. wbr roobaa01 Trump also came out and publicly sympathised with him. More fake news. Why did you feel the need to qualify Kamala Harris as a "black democrat"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedro01 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 It seems there are people that will just eat this stuff up But really, where are all these racists? The narrative from the left is that there's a growing number of racists and homophobes. It's not true but they are pushing the narrative hard. People are believing it - Hollywood actors hamming it up. It's going to be interesting how this turns out - as yet, it has not started the discussion in media that it should have because most media likes the race war they are trying to invent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmen Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 48 minutes ago, IAMHERE said: Did Not Lose His Job, the show is sticking with him. Because basically he is right according to them. until he loses in court Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM07 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 1 hour ago, klauskunkel said: He lost $3,500. He lost his job. He lost his career. He will lose several years in prison. He gained some bruises. He is an idiot. I honestly don't care what HE loses! But the damage he has done for any victim of ACTUAL homophobic or racist hate- crimes is absolutely devastating! Just have a look at twitter, where all the MAGA- dunces are having a field day,acting as if all hate crime allegations are basically hoaxes! Let me ad: ...or have a look at some of the posts on this thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM07 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 24 minutes ago, roobaa01 said: the us hoax media cnn, wapo, nytimes, nbc etc. tried to suppress news coverage about the privileged black man smollet only after fox news brought it up others jumped the wagon also another example of a mentally unfit black democrat is kamala harris for she called the crime a modern day time lynching,what a political idiot. such democratic females like harris run for presidency. wbr roobaa01 Sooooo...in this post you managed to look like a racist and a misogynist and you don't understand how journalism works! Excellent job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thainesss Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 20 minutes ago, Spidey said: Trump also came out and publicly sympathised with him. More fake news. Trump denounced the act and the crime. The left cried, wailed, and flat blamed the right and conservatives directly and called them racists for doubting the story. 22 minutes ago, Spidey said: Why did you feel the need to qualify Kamala Harris as a "black democrat"? Why to libs feel the need to qualify people on the right as "white males" and "white republicans". Dont even act like you guys dont do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somtamnication Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Shame shame shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChouDoufu Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 will be interesting to see how this plays out. just two weeks ago, also in illinois, a white man was sentenced to 3 years in prison for filing a false report claiming 3 black men had stolen his car. https://week.com/news/top-stories/2019/02/04/man-sentenced-to-3-years-in-fake-farmington-amber-alert-case/ but this is the least of his worries. he's also potentially up for federal charges, as it's likely he sent himself the threatening letter with the white powder. that amounts to federal terrorism charges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickBradford Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 1 hour ago, klauskunkel said: He lost $3,500. He lost his job. He lost his career. He will lose several years in prison. He gained some bruises. He is an idiot. The whole episode is another nail in the almost-complete coffin of the "progressive" legacy media, with its knee-jerk reaction of howling racism, homophobia and, of course, blaming President Trump. It was a story they were desperate to believe, and it has blown up in their faces like a joke cigar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roobaa01 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 2 minutes ago, DM07 said: Sooooo...in this post you managed to look like a racist and a misogynist and you don't understand how journalism works! Excellent job! i understand that the left wing hoax media is coming up with a conspiracy stories about smollet being set up by police officers which are trump supporters. typical left wing thrash journalism. fox news brought the story up. wbr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lannarebirth Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 1 minute ago, ChouDoufu said: will be interesting to see how this plays out. just two weeks ago, also in illinois, a white man was sentenced to 3 years in prison for filing a false report claiming 3 black men had stolen his car. https://week.com/news/top-stories/2019/02/04/man-sentenced-to-3-years-in-fake-farmington-amber-alert-case/ but this is the least of his worries. he's also potentially up for federal charges, as it's likely he sent himself the threatening letter with the white powder. that amounts to federal terrorism charges. Not sure about the mail thing. That could really complicate matters for this guy. Early indications are probabtion and restitution for police investigation cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterb17 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Weird how so called celebrities are deemed to be so important- yesterday this was the number one news story on the BBC world service. Am I the only person who has no clue whatsoever who this person is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lannarebirth Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Just now, peterb17 said: Weird how so called celebrities are deemed to be so important- yesterday this was the number one news story on the BBC world service. Am I the only person who has no clue whatsoever who this person is? No you are not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pedro01 Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 10 minutes ago, DM07 said: I honestly don't care what HE loses! But the damage he has done for any victim of ACTUAL homophobic or racist hate- crimes is absolutely devastating! Just have a look at twitter, where all the MAGA- dunces are having a field day,acting as if all hate crime allegations are basically hoaxes! Let me ad: ...or have a look at some of the posts on this thread! I am not sure what a "MAGA Dunce" is - but I am fairly sure your own disrespect and bigotry is just as bad as any on the right. The only difference is the target of your ire. There is no difference between hating black people because of their color, hating white people because of their color or hating anyone because of their opinion. All are symptoms of extremely low IQ and tribal thinking. You might want to consider this the next time you tar a bunch of people with the same brush for "tarring people with the same brush". This was a direct attack on a group of people by Jussie. So the fact that these people are having a laugh now that he's been proven wrong, well - that's hardly a crime is it? Certainly it's no cause to turn the whole thing around and toldyaso as if it vindicates Jussie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingthing Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 He is legally due the presumption of innocence (blah blah blah) but of course the case against Smollett is looking very damning. So assuming he is guilty, there is no excuse for that behavior and he must face the legal consequences, and it shouldn't matter what political prism you're coming from to say that. Going forward, the default should always be believing victim's reports unless and until their report proves to be fake. Get real now -- the vast majority of such reports are not hoaxes. It's big news when a hoax is uncovered by a celebrity. It hardly makes the news at all when another poor transgender person of color is murdered in the USA. Maybe such people faked their murders? Quote Jussie Smollett isn’t the reason black LGBT hate-crime victims aren’t believed If the “Empire” star lied, there’s no excuse. But when it comes to our unjust double standard on who is believed and who isn’t, the problem doesn’t start with him. http://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/02/21/jussie-smollett-isnt-reason-black-lgbt-hate-crime-victims-arent-believed/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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