Jussie Smollett’s legal troubles are far from over.
The Empire actor was hit with a new indictment by a Cook County grand jury. A total of 16 new felony charges were brought against the Jussie Smollet on Friday, and it looks like he was slapped with one charge per false statement that he gave to Chicago PD regardless his alleged homophobic attack in January. According to CNN, the indictment reveals that Smollet gave two different accounts of what really took place to a Chicago police officer and to a detective.
The actor filed the police report in January after claiming that two men attacked him while yelling homophobic and pro-Trump slurs at him. Chicago PD later zeroes in on two brothers, Ola and Abel Osundairo, and later found out that they knew the actor and presumed that he paid them $3,500 to stage the attack.
Video surveillance also showed the two brothers buying the items used in the attack against Smollet, including bandanas, red hats, sunglasses, gloves, and ski masks. While Smollet has maintained that he is telling the truth, authorities are clearly stepping up their pressure on him, and ultimately he could be sent to prison.
