Jussie Smollett Indicted on 6 New Charges, Pleads Not Guilty in Court
Smollett, 37, entered a Cook County courthouse surrounded by reporters
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Actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty after being indicted on six new charges of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself last year in Chicago.
The "Empire" actor appeared in court Monday as new charges alleged he lied to police about being the victim of a "racist" attack.
Smollett, 37, entered a Cook County courthouse surrounded by reporters.
Smollett's lawyer, Tina Glandian, entered the not guilty pleas on his behalf to the six counts of felony disorderly conduct.
Glandian also told the judge James B. Linn that she has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to halt the case.
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Smollett pleaded bot guilty to 16 counts of the charge last year, just before Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office dismissed the case.
According to sources from CBS, reporter Charlie De Mar claimed that Johnson was “furious" after the charges were dropped.
“He had no heads up this was going to happen,” De Mar said.
“I can tell you that Chicago Police are furious over State Attorney Kim Foxx’s decision to drop all charges against Jussie Smollett,” added Rafer Weigel of Fox Chicago.
This time around, Foxx's office is not involved in the new case against Smollett.
New Smollett Charges Could Complicate Reelection for Chicago Prosecutor Kim Foxx
— Neon Nettle (@NeonNettle) February 14, 2020
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Smollett will first appear before Chief Judge LeRoy Martin Jr., who will tell him which judge will be assigned to preside over the case.
Martin cold order Smollett to return to court for his s first hearing before that judge.
Smollet, a black gay man, told police he had been attacked while walking home in the early hours of Jan. 29, 2019.
He said that the attackers made racist and homophobic insults while beating him and looped a noose around his neck before fleeing, and one of his attackers told him he was in he was in “MAGA country,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
Local authorities are said to be outraged following the dismissal of the 'Empire' actor's charges.
The FBI opened a new probe into "circumstances surrounding the dismissal of criminal charges" against Smollett after Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city's police demanded answers.
