"Empire" actor Jussie Smollett continues to deny staging a racist and homophobic attack on herself. At a Chicago court, the actor pleaded "not guilty." A grand jury in Cook County district filed 16-point indictments last week. It is about false information to the authorities.
The 36-year-old was arrested in February for alleged false statements against the police. According to investigators, the actor paid two men to feign an attack on him.
At the end of January, Smollett had stated that he had been attacked by two strangers in Chicago and had been homophobic and racially insulted. The investigators assume that the actor wanted to promote his career.
Smollett has repeatedly rejected the allegations. If convicted, he may face a sentence of several years in prison. From several episodes of the series "Empire" his figure has since been removed.