Chicago police have named “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett as a suspect in a criminal investigation, three weeks after he reported he was the victim of a hate crime.
Detectives are presenting evidence to a grand jury, which is expected to determine whether to indict Smollett on a charge of filing a false police report.
“Jussie Smollett is now officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation by #ChicagoPolice for filing a false police report (Class 4 felony),” spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on Twitter. “Detectives are currently presenting evidence before a Cook County Grand Jury.”
If convicted, Smollett could face one to three years in prison. Federal authorities are also investigating a purported threat letter that was sent to Smollett at the “Empire” studio prior to the alleged attack.
Chicago detectives have been seeking to interview Smollett since Saturday, when the department revealed that new evidence had changed the “trajectory” of the case.
Smollett has not spoken with police since officers released Ola and Abel Osundairo, the brothers who were in the vicinity of the attack in the early hours of Jan. 29. Local media have reported that the brothers told detectives that Smollett paid them to stage the attack.
Smollett angrily denied that on Saturday, in a statement attributed to his attorneys, Victor Henderson and Todd Pugh.
“He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack,” the attorneys said. “Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”
Fox has continued to support the “Empire” star, issuing a statement on Wednesday morning calling him a “consummate professional on set.” Fox declined to comment again following the latest development.
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