City Of Chicago Demands Jussie Smollett Pay $130K To Help Pay Overtime To Cops After Faking Attack, Per ‘TMZ’
Jussie Smollett continues to face a mountain of backlash after charges were dropped earlier this week.
The most recent party to slam the actor is the City of Chicago, who is requesting that he pay back some serious dough after leading the Chicago Police Department on a wild goose chase. TMZ shares that the Chicago Corporation Counsel, who handles Chicago’s civil claims, has sent a letter to Smollett, demanding that he pay them just over $130,000. Included in these costs is the overtime that was paid to police officers and detectives who worked around the clock on his case.
“Over two dozen detectives and police officers participated in the investigation, ultimately spending weeks investigating your false claims,” the letter reads. “The Chicago police investigation revealed that you knowingly filed a false police report and had in fact orchestrated your own attack.”
At the end of the letter, the City of Chicago demands that Smollett cough up $130,106 within seven days of receiving the letter and if he doesn’t do so, they plan to prosecute him for making false statements under the Municipal Code of Chicago. Failure to pay will not result in jail time, but rather in a $500 fine. Additionally, if he doesn’t pay, the city could also choose to go after Jussie for three times the initial costs which would tally up to be nearly $400,000.
Resign Chicago district attorney https://t.co/JbZO9v28cu
— Keith Cohen (@KcohenSIRealtor) March 24, 2019
The media outlet says that “although the penalties are only monetary, it could amount to a finding by a judge or jury that Jussie faked the attack.” This case from the Chicago Corporation Counsel is separate from the charges that were dropped earlier this week. A spokesperson for the Empire star has already responded to the media outlet, pretty much stating that Jussie still maintains his innocence.
“It is the Mayor and the Police Chief who owe Jussie an apology for dragging an innocent man’s character through the mud. Jussie has paid enough.”
As The Inquisitr shared earlier today, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel announced that police were “finalizing the cost” of the bill before sending it off to Smollett and his legal team. Earlier this week, Smollett made headlines once again when it was announced that all charges against him, including 16 felony counts of lying to police, had been dropped.
The Inquisitr shared that the Empire star was originally accused of orchestrating a “homophobic and racist attack” against himself in January. But instead of facing possible jail time, Smollett got off with a slap on the wrist, simply having to forfeit his $10,000 in bail money.
Since news broke, countless celebrities have spoken out against Smollett, including Wendy Williams and Charles Barkley.
