Jussie Smollett has been indicted by a Chicago grand jury on 16 felony counts, NBC News reports. The “Empire” actor claims he was physically and verbally attacked in late January, in a racist and homophobic hate crime. Chicago police say he staged a hoax.
Last month Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct.
Smollett says two men attacked him, broke one of his ribs, tied a noose around his neck and poured bleach over him. He also says the shouted, “This is MAGA country.”
ABC News reports there are “two separate sets of charges. The first set are related to what Smollett told officers about the alleged attack, including that the attackers called him racial and homophobic slurs, struck him with his their hands, put a noose around his neck, and poured some sort of chemical substance on him.”
“The second set of charges are related to the second interview Smollett had with police about the alleged attack later that day.”
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