Jussie Smollett has quite the fight on his hands after being indicted on a whopping 16 counts related to what prosecutors call a “staged attack.”
As reported, the embattled ‘Empire’ star claimed he was viciously targeted in a beat-down motivated by his race and sexuality.
However, investigators then turned the search for criminality onto him after determining that they felt he planned the entire episode.
What followed has been an ever-evolving narrative, that’s included two brothers, admittance of drug abuse, and an adamance about innocence.
Now, with prosecutors upping the stakes – charging Smollett for each instance they believe he lied to them – his legal team are speaking up and out in his defence.
Their words below…
High-powered celeb attorney Mark Geragos issued the following statement:
“The fact of an indictment was not unexpected. We knew that there is no way they would expose their evidence to a public airing and subject their witnesses to cross-examination. What is unexpected, however, is the prosecutorial overkill in charging 16 separate counts against Jussie.
This redundant and vindictive indictment is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make headlines in order to distract from the internal investigation launched to investigate the outrageous leaking of false information by the Chicago Police Department and the shameless and illegal invasion of Jussie’s privacy in tampering with his medical records. Jussie adamantly maintains his innocence even if law enforcement has robbed him of that presumption.”
Jussie is expected back in court later this month.