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Source: Reuters
FILE PHOTO: Actor Jussie Smollett leaves court after charges
against him were dropped by state prosecutors in Chicago
FILE PHOTO: Actor Jussie Smollett makes a court appearance at
the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago
The actor, who is black and gay, stunned the city when he told
police on Jan. 29 that two masked men threw a noose around his
neck and poured chemicals on him while yelling racist and
homophobic slurs and expressing support for U.S. President
Donald Trump.
A month later, State's Attorney Kim Foxx charged Smollett, best
known for his role as a gay musician on the Fox Television
hip-hop drama "Empire," with filing a false police report and
accused him of paying $3,500 to two men to stage the attack to
generate public sympathy.
Smollett has denied staging the attack.
Foxx also recused herself from the case because of conversations
she had about the incident with one of Smollett’s relatives.
In March, to the dismay of local politicians and police
officials, Foxx's office dropped the charges, saying an
agreement by Smollett to forfeit his $10,000 bond was a just
outcome.
Cook County Judge Michael Toomin scheduled a status hearing
related to the case for Friday morning. Court records do not
indicate the purpose of the hearing, but local newspapers
reported the only outstanding item remaining in the case is for
Toomin to name a special prosecutor.
In June, Toomin said he would appoint a special prosecutor to
the case after receiving a petition from former Illinois
appellate court Judge Sheila O’Brien.
Toomin said at the time the case's "unprecedented
irregularities" warranted the appointment "to restore the
public's confidence in the integrity of our criminal justice
system," the Tribune reported.
The special prosecutor could bring fresh charges against
Smollett and charges against anyone else who is believed to have
committed a crime during the incident and investigation, the
Tribune reported, citing Toomin's ruling in June.
The actor's criminal defense attorney, Mark Geragos, could not
be reached for comment.
Smollett was written out of the final two episodes of "Empire"
this season after he was charged with staging the hate crime.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Editing by Scott
Malone and Lisa Shumaker)
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