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US Events Actor Jussie Smollett faces new disorderly conduct charges in alleged fake attack

What We’ve Learned about Jussie Smollett

Smollett’s celebrity defenders have gone quiet. His publicists and lawyers are dodging reporters. The @StandwithJussie Twitter account has ten followers. Smollett’s boss on Empire, showrunner Lee Daniels, now says he is “beyond embarrassed” that he rushed to defend the actor when Smollett first started telling that badly scripted story about his staged attack by a pair of supposed Trump fanatics who at the time seemed to be the only people in America who even knew who he was.

...

Smollett’s phone records show that for months he repeatedly bought cocaine, Ecstasy, and marijuana from the brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, which he paid for via Paypal and Venmo, and that he wanted to meet with the brothers “face to face” to discuss “planning,” presumably for the fake attack. “N***a you still got a molly connect,” Smollett texted one of the brothers last September. “Hahahaha… Imma need a good fo pills Haha.”

Abimbola told police that just before staging the attack, for which he and his brother said they were paid $3,500, he hesitated because he saw a vehicle in the area and wondered whether police might notice the fake scuffle and shoot him. During the phony assault he shouted racist and anti-gay slurs as he had been hired to do, then lightly hit Smollet on the chin: “It was a pretend punch because he didn’t want to knock him out,” said an affidavit. He then backed off in order to give the actor “a chance to fight back as he was scripted,” the statement continued...
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Smollett now fired from Empire, still fails to admit his wrongdoing, and likely to fade further from being known for anything other than a liar. I believe he still hasn't paid for the investigation costs as billed from Chicago PD, so maybe he goes to jail on that.
 
^The right of center national review article forgot to mention that Lee Daniels is still not convinced of Smollett's guilt and that his firing was most likely a result of negative PR (nothing to do with his innocence or guilt).

I'll quote my last post from this thread as it still reflects my current views.

I'm confused as to why a prosecutor would bring all these charges only to drop them.

I get rich/famous/adored celebrities get tons of special treatment, but from what I know, this guy is not really any of these things (when compared to other celebrities). He's not THAT rich. He's not THAT famous for anything other than this case. He's certainly not adored. Everyone I've come across either actively despises him or is personally offended by him in some way.

He was going to jail and people had really stopped giving a shit.

Given that, the fact that they would flat out drop the charges can lead me to no other conclusion that there is some kind of evidentiary bombshell somewhere that we haven't seen yet.

I hope someone changes my mind but if the prosecutors were biased in some way they simply would have declined to bring charges in the first place.
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You have a good point there mal. However it does appear to me that he is guilty as charged. Imagine how fucked up it would be for him, though, if somehow he was actually telling the truth, and his life exploded and everyone hates him after actually being attacked like that? Just saying that because I thought of it, not because I'm saying I think it's true.
 
mal3volent said:
Given that, the fact that they would flat out drop the charges can lead me to no other conclusion that there is some kind of evidentiary bombshell somewhere that we haven't seen yet.

I hope someone changes my mind but if the prosecutors were biased in some way they simply would have declined to bring charges in the first place.
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Perhaps it is my own personal bias, but I sincerely doubt there is an evidenciary bombshell of any kind. All I've heard is someone pulled strings thru the prosecutor's office to get them dropped - not that dropping them was called for. I don't like TMZ as a source, but it's what I could find on short order:

JUSSIE SMOLLETT CRIMINAL CASE DROPPED!!! Mayor Calls It a 'Whitewash of Justice'

1:05 PM PT -- First Assistant to the Cook County State Attorney Joseph Magats -- who replaced Kim Foxx when she recused herself -- says they dropped the charges because Smollett doesn't have a violent criminal history, and lying about the alleged attack was not a violent crime.

Magats says his office prioritizes violent crimes in Chicago, and felt this case wouldn't be the best use of resources. For the record, he says he made this decision alone ... without consultation from Foxx.

He also squarely says he believes Jussie DID concoct a hoax and lied about it to police. Even though Chicago PD and Mayor Emanuel ripped the State's Attorney's Office ... Magats made it clear he stands by the findings of the cops, and believes they had the evidence to get a conviction.

The obvious question is asked ... why take the case to a grand jury, only to drop the charges? Check out Magats' answer -- a lot of people, and not just Chicago PD, won't buy what he's selling here.

BTW, Magats says discussions have been going on for weeks with Jussie's camp ... about dropping the charges, and his community service. All of which must have been done in total secrecy because we know cops, the Mayor and others involved in the case had no clue this was going to happen.

10:45 AM PT -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel is very strongly hinting at corruption in the State's Attorney's Office, calling the decision to drop the charges against Smollett a "whitewash of justice."

The Mayor added, "From top to bottom, this is not on the level." He called for accountability from the prosecutors.

Emanuel was joined by Chicago PD Superintendent Eddie Johnson who said he didn't feel justice was served by letting Smollett off the hook.

10:15 AM PT -- FOX says, "Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are gratified that all charges against him have been dismissed."

As for WHY they were dropped -- you'll recall State's Attorney Kim Foxx recused herself from the case. She reportedly had asked cops to stand down at the behest of Tina Tchen -- Michelle Obama's former Chief of Staff and a friend of Jussie's family. The conflict forced Foxx to bow out.

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office tells us the decision to drop all charges against Jussie was made by Joseph Magats -- the First Assistant State's Attorney -- who was placed in charge of the case after Foxx's recusal, and NOT by Foxx.

It's still odd. Sources tell TMZ the prosecutor in the case, as late as Friday afternoon, was making plans to handle issues involving cameras in the courtroom for the trial ... and seemed completely unaware of plans to drop the case.

9:22 AM PT -- Jussie and his lawyer, Patricia Holmes, just addressed the media, and the takeaway message was simple ... he's happy and wants to get on with his life. Holmes reiterated this was not a deal Jussie struck with prosecutors -- instead, they dropped the charges on their own, and he forfeited his bond voluntarily ... it wasn't a tit-for-tat situation.

Jussie thanked everyone who supported him through this case, and maintained he'd been truthful and consistent throughout the case. He added ... that he would never put the LGBTQ movement "through a fire like this." He also thanked his "Empire" cast members for their support.

If you're wondering if things will really get back to normal for Jussie -- he stopped to take a few selfies with fans on his way out of court.

And there's this ... federal law enforcement sources tell us Jussie is still under investigation for the threatening letter -- with racist and homophobic slurs -- that was sent to him at the "Empire" studio 8 days before the alleged attack.

You'll recall ... the Chicago PD Superintendent claimed Jussie sent it to himself, but our sources say the FBI had not reached that conclusion yet.

8:45 AM PT -- Jussie's family has also released a statement celebrating the news. They state, "This morning truth has prevailed and (Jussie) has been vindicated."

They continue, "While many were quick to rush to judgement before hearing the actual truth, we are grateful that the truth about Jussie has come to light. We look forward to bringing the real perpetrators to justice."

8:35 AM PT -- State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office says, "After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett's volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case."

The statement is consistent with what our sources said about Jussie only getting community service if he'd been convicted. The decision is NOT sitting well with Chicago PD.

On the other hand, Jussie's co-workers on "Empire" are celebrating on Twitter.

Jussie Smollett will not be prosecuted for allegedly faking a racial attack, because all charges have been dropped!!!

Jussie and his lawyers ran to court Tuesday morning in Chicago, where he was facing 16 felony counts of lying to police in the alleged racial and homophobic attack.

Jussie will surrender his $10,000 bond. But, that's it. The case is over.

We're told the State's Attorney, Kim Foxx, told Chicago police she was dropping the case because Jussie would have only gotten community service if convicted and she said he has already performed community service so there is no point in prosecuting him. We could not find any record of Smollett doing community service.

We're told Chicago police are "furious" and feel something untoward is going on with Kim Foxx.

Jussie's lawyers say, "Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him. Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public, causing an inappropriate rush to judgment."

The lawyers go on ... "Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result."

A source close to Jussie says the prosecution's case "disintegrated." As we reported, there were issues with the $3,500 check the 2 brothers, Ola and Abel Osundairo, received from Jussie. The Police Superintendent had said the money was payment for the fake attack, but it appears it was actually for physical training.

The Police Superintendent also said during a news conference that Jussie wrote that threatening letter 6 days before the attack when in actuality the FBI had not concluded who wrote the letter.
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TL;DR = Chicago PD and Mayor believe there is no evidenciary bombshell, they think Smollett is getting strings pulled. Listed in the article - Kim Foxx, the State Attorney asked Chicago PD to stand down per request from Tina Tchen (Michelle Obama's Chief of Staff, and family friend of Smollett). Not listed, but I heard of in other articles is that Kim Foxx tried hard to get the case moved from CPD over to friendly FBI jurisdiction (Obama references made but not substantiated) that failed after which she recused herself and her assistant, Joseph Magats took over. Magats decided "on his own" to drop the charges as being non-violent (ok, CPD does have a large backlog of violent cases) and that Smollett had done community service already (TMZ could find no such records) that would have been his likely sentence if it had gone to trial, so why waste taxpayer money for the exercise? Magats did state he believed Smollett was guilty of committing the crimes, but the non-violent nature is where he based his decision.
 
Jussie Smollett incident isn't over: Chicago judge appoints special prosecutor to investigate

A Cook County judge on Friday appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the abrupt decision by state prosecutors to drop a 16-count indictment against actor Jussie Smollett, who had been accused of staging an attack on himself for publicity.

Judge Michael Toomin suggested that State’s Attorney Kim Foxx had mishandled the case by appointing a top aide to handle it after she had purportedly recused herself.

In his ruling,Toomin said that Foxx, having recused herself, did not have legal authority to turn the case to over to another prosecutor in her office.

...

Former state appellate Judge Sheila O’Brien, who had pushed for a special prosecutor, argued that Foxx’s actions created “a perception that justice was not served here, that Mr. Smollett received special treatment,” the Chicago Tribune reports.

Toomin said the prosecutor would be empowered to pursue a case "of any crime as may be suspected" and could even end up charging Smollett if the probe found suspicion of wrongdoing by others.

...

In an unexpected twist, however, the case against Smollett, who faced 16 felony charges, was abruptly dropped by state's attorney Foxx, who said her office wasn’t convinced it had enough evidence to convict Smollett and preferred to focus on more serious crimes.

That decision, in turn, triggered outrage from then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who said the alleged hoax had unnecessarily tied up police personnel and harmed the city’s reputation.

Toomin's appointment of a special prosecutor was ordered even though the county’s inspector general’s office is already investigating Foxx's handling of the case.

Foxx had recused herself from the case, saying she wanted to avoid "even the perception of a conflict," after false rumors circulated that she was related to Smollett.


Recently unsealed court documents, however, showed that Foxx inserted herself in the case even though she had publicly vowed to stay out of the decision-making.
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Seems like a bit of a technicality the judge is exercising, saying that if Foxx recused herself she was therefore not in a position to appoint a replacement. But, it does offer a chance that Smollett might face justice, and those who bent the system to give him a 'get out of jail free' card.
 
Smollet needs to repay the money wasted because of his fraud. They should also continue to add to that amount all the money spent compelling him to pay the money since he has failed to do so willingly.

But far as I'm concerned. That it justice. He didn't commit a violent crime. Society is not safer with him in jail. Putting him in jail is a total waste of resources.

But then, I follow the philosophy that jail is about public safety. I don't believe in punishment for revenges sake. Or in punishment for deterrence sake. I think the former is morally wrong for the state and the latter is ineffective.

I want smollet to repay the money he wasted in his fraud. That's it. For me once that's done, that's justice. I'd expect no more from anyone else.
 
JessFR said:
But then, I follow the philosophy that jail is about public safety. I don't believe in punishment for revenges sake. Or in punishment for deterrence sake. I think the former is morally wrong for the state and the latter is ineffective.

I want smollet to repay the money he wasted in his fraud. That's it. For me once that's done, that's justice. I'd expect no more from anyone else.
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I'm a fairly vengeful type of personality, but I agree there is no merit to Smollett being in jail (he is not a threat) and consuming resources (have him be in society, paying taxes, and spend the resources of jail on those who need it).

I'd agree he needs to repay AND admit what he did. This, I am hearing, is why it was dismissed and he is avoiding paying. His lawyer came out stating Jussie is innocent following the dropped charges.
 
Shouldn’t the people who did the actual manipulating of the legal system (also) be punished?

In terms of Smollett paying money back, it’s a slippery slope. One case shouldn’t make case law.
 
I'm reading that the judge who made the most recent statement (that Foxx's recusal voids everything after) may be speaking beyond their authority if this is indeed what s/he said. Meaning, they can't make that call and open things back up. However, the point is little about Smollett, and much more about those who manipulated the system. One can hope this is followed thru, but if the judge can't make that call...who can?
 
I think the other thread were I was asking for instances of true MAGA hat aggression to offset the growing narrative of fake hate crimes was done in a thread where the OP deleted the whole damn thing. So, sorry for bumping this fugly old discussion but it's related:

Ex-NFL player Edawn Coughman charged with faking hate crime


Edawn Coughman, who bounced around the NFL with seven teams from 2012 to 2016, has been arrested and charged with staging a hoax hate crime.

The 31-year-old Coughman is charged with false report of a crime, insurance fraud and concealing a license plate, CNN reports.

A witness called police on Thursday describing a suspect vandalizing a restaurant Coughman owns and driving away in a black truck without a license plate. Police spotted the truck and pulled it over. Coughman was driving, and inside the car were several televisions still attached to brackets with damaged drywall, as well as black spray paint cans.

In addition to missing televisions, the damage found inside the restaurant included racial slurs, swastikas and the word “MAGA” written in black spray paint. Coughman told police he had found the vandalism done to his restaurant and reported it to his insurance company, but hadn’t called the police.

“It appears as though Edawn conjured a premeditated plan to damage his own property, attempt to make it appear as a hate crime, file a claim with his insurance company, and sell off the undamaged appliances and electronics,” police said in a statement.

Coughman’s attorney issued a statement saying, “Coughman is presumed innocent like anyone else who is accused of a crime . . . don’t prejudge him without knowing all the facts.”
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LOL at the last bit by his laywer. But in the meantime, we continue to see fake hate crimes....and while nobody is claiming hate crimes don't exist, we also not seeing the expected white racism or MAGA gang committing them in the headlines like we'd expect. The narrative falters.
 
Probably deserves a separate thread from Smollett if I want to keep highlighting the violence that occurs and who commits it, but have you guys seen this as well?

Videos of Minneapolis robberies, mob-style beatings go viral

...Fox News has obtained a series of disturbing videos showing mob-style attacks in downtown Minneapolis in which police say “vulnerable” victims were targeted and brutally beaten for valuables such as cellphones.

Police told Fox News that an “incredible” law enforcement investigation led to the arrest of 16 people in connection to the videos. They face assault and robbery charges, among others.

In one daytime video, a mob can be seen pummeling a man just outside of the Minneapolis Twins’ stadium. At one point, the attackers run to gain speed and jump on the victim. They ride a bike over him, take off his pants and beat him with a belt. The victim appears to defend himself but is outnumbered and overpowered.

In another gruesome video, two young men appear to be attacked. They’re punched in the face and appear to fight back. One is knocked unconscious.

In a third video, a young man is surrounded by a mob and beaten unconscious. The video appears to show something being taken from his pocket once he’s on the ground.

All of these videos are emerging as the city of Minneapolis is dealing with a crippling shortage of police officers. The chief of police, Medaria Arradondo, has requested 400 additional officers over the next few years to make up for the shortage...
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The point of the article is the lack of policemen in Minneapolis which has it's own discussion points worthy of WHY? But the other takeaway is that they are calling these 'robberies'. If you watch the videos and see the attacks - is this not hate crimes? And why aren't they viewed or reported as such?
 
TheLoveBandit said:
is this not hate crimes? And why aren't they viewed or reported as such?
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Whether something is a "hate crime" or not depends upon the motivation of the crime, right? The way the article makes it sound like crimes of opportunity involving financial gain
 
Burnt Offerings said:
Whether something is a "hate crime" or not depends upon the motivation of the crime, right? The way the article makes it sound like crimes of opportunity involving financial gain
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I agree that is how the article 'makes it sound', and yet the video shows people simply beating a person for the sake of beating them. If it was for the watch or a phone, it'd be stolen and they'd be gone.
 
I wonder if this guy will be punished at all or just walk like Jussie did.
 
What was the motivation for the attack then, if not greed? Hatred of [insert race/religion/ethnicity etc here]? Did the suspected attackers mention that at any point?

Or is it a case of "why isn't this terrible violent crime considered a 'hate crime'? You'd really have to hate someone in order to do that to them!" ?
 
LMFAO @ the title of this thread.

Can't believe Jussie got beat up AND had false charges laid against him #racism
 
Hat crime for sure. Maga hats are criminal. stop hat crime, ban them now, for the sake of the children.
 
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