Six years after Chicago police determined that the hate crime against Jussie Smollett was a hoax, they’re finally ready to close the case.However, the Empire actor won’t be getting away scot-free; he’ll have to donate $50,000 to a charity of his choice.
TMZ reports that he’ll be handing the check over to Building Better Futures Center for the Arts in Chicago, a nonprofit that aims to “improve the quality of life for underprivileged youth and their families by providing safe, stable, and nurturing experiences that enhance social, emotional, academic, and career development.”
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The case dates back to January 2019, when Smollett alerted police that he’d been walking back to his apartment after grabbing food at Subway when two men attacked him by wrapping a noose around his neck and calling him homophobic and racist names.However, after an investigation, the Chicago Police Department determined that the whole ordeal was an elaborate scheme where Smollett paid a pair of brothers to stage the fake attack. Less than a month after the incident, a grand jury charged him with filing a false police report, a felony. The charges didn’t stick very long before his legal team cut a deal, allowing him to get off with community service and forfeiting his $10,000 bond.Still, legal proceedings went on as the CPD realized they wasted resources and overtime investigating the nonexistent crime, which cost $130,000.Smollett argued that he was publicly ridiculed and refused to pay the six-figure bill. Then he was tried again, found guilty, and ordered to be jailed for 150 days, but he only served six days before he was released pending appeal.
In an attempt to end the dispute, the two parties settled on $50,000 for restitution, less than half of the original ask.
“The City believes this settlement provides a fair, constructive, and conclusive resolution, allowing all the parties to close this six-year-old chapter and move forward,” a Law Department spokesperson said, according to CBS News.Smollett also spoke about his charitable efforts and helping his hometown, and less about it being the consequences of his alleged fake crime.“Making a donation to benefit Chicago communities that are too often neglected by those in power will always be something I support. I’ve made a $50,000.00 donation to Building Brighter Futures (BBF) Center for the Arts, a local nonprofit doing incredible work nurturing self-expression, creativity and exploration of the arts for Chicago youth,” the statement read. “This organization was of my choosing and I’m comforted that there will be at least one winner from this experience.”
The statement continued, “Lastly, I’m grateful to have had the resources to defend myself. So many do not. They are backed into corners to take deals or confess to crimes they did not actually commit.”See social media’s response to Smollett’s legal battle with the city of Chicago finally being over below.
