Ex-'Empire' Actor Jussie Smollett Indicted By Special Prosecutor

CHICAGO, IL — A special prosecutor investigating claims that former "Empire" star Jussie Smollett lied about being the victim of a hate crime in January 2019 has reportedly indicted the actor.

Special prosecutor Dan Webb has indicted Smollett on multiple charges, ABC Chicago reported Tuesday afternoon. WGN's Ben Bradley reported the six charges include disorderly conduct.

Smollett, who is black and gay, said he was attacked in January 2019 by two masked men who shouted racial and anti-gay slurs and said, "This is MAGA country!" He said they looped a rope around his neck before running away, and claimed he was attacked as he walked home from a Subway restaurant in downtown Chicago. Smollett said his assailants also poured some kind of chemical on him.

Days later, the investigation "shifted" as police received new information they said indicated Smollett may have lied about the attack and even paid his alleged attackers.

Then-Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Smollett staged the attack to advance his career, calling his claims a "publicity stunt."

Smollett was charged with one count of felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, but Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx later dropped the charge.

In March, Chicago police demanded Smollett pay $130,000 to reimburse the city for costs related to the hate crime investigation. In November, Smollett responded by filing a lawsuit against the city, saying they had no evidence his claims were a hoax.

A special prosecutor was appointed to investigate the Smollett case in June.

In the aftermath of his hate crime claims, Smollett was cut from episodes of the hit TV show, which frequently filmed in Chicago, before being fired. The show was cancelled in May, and its remaining episodes will air later this year.

Cook County State’s Attorney candidate Bill Conway reacted to the indictment Tuesday, releasing a statement saying, "What's concerned me about this case since the beginning is that a connected, Hollywood celebrity got a sweetheart deal that residents of Cook County do not get. It seems that not only does the special prosecutor agree, but that Kim Foxx could provide him no evidence to the contrary."

Meanwhile, the Friends for Foxx campaign also issued a statement on the indictment, invoking Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump after former FBI Director James Comey announced he might reopen his investigation into her use of a personal email address, just before the 2016 presidential election.

"The Cook County State's Attorney's office charged Jussie Smollett with multiple counts, and today the Special Prosecutor did the same," the campaign said. "What's questionable here is the James Comey-like timing of that charging decision, just 35 days before an election, which can only be interpreted as the further politicization of the justice system, something voters in the era of Donald Trump should consider offensive."