• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Towleroad Gay News

Gay Blog Towleroad: More than gay news | gay men

  • Body
  • Daily Resist
  • POLITICS
  • Travel
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Film
  • TV
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Men
  • Marriage Equality
  • Space
  • Trans Rights
  • Books
  • Science
  • Gay Iconography
  • TowleREAD

Jussie Smollett Pleads ‘Not Guilty’ to 16 Felony Counts of Disorderly Conduct

March 14, 2019 by Andy Towle Leave a Comment

Empire actor Jussie Smollett appeared at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on Thursday morning and pleaded “not guilty” to 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct .

CBS Chicago reports: “After Smollett pleaded not guilty, Cook County Judge Steven Watkins granted him permission to travel to New York and California to consult with his attorneys, if he provides 48 hours notice to the court’s pretrial services office. Smollett is free on bail, and Watkins admonished the actor to be present an on-time for all of his upcoming court dates. Smollett’s next hearing was scheduled for April 17.”

“The specific allegations–“false report of offense”– are Class 4 felonies,” CBS Chicago reported. “The indictment expands the case against the actor. The counts focus on allegedly false statements he made to two different Chicago Police officers. Each count covers various alleged acts that Smollett falsely described to the officers–including that he was hit by two men, that they yelled racial and homophobic slurs and poured a chemical on him.”

Anderson Cooper spoke with Smollett’s attorney Mark Geragos last week about the 16-count felony indictment against the Empire actor for staging a hate crime.

Said Geragos: “This is an outrage….I defy anybody to find any indictment anywhere where somebody has brought 16 counts for being a victim of a hate crime, basically.”

“They have not talked to one person at Fox who has said he was dissatisfied with his money,” Geragos continued. “They have not interviewed one person connected with the show Empirewho says he was dissatisfied with his money. They are the ones who started their internal investigation about the leaks because all of the information that was being leaked was false.”

Added Geragos: “What is happening here is frankly a media gangbang of this guy of unprecedented proportions. And that’s the reason I got into this. I’ve never seen a media pendulum swing more quickly and more viciously and rob somebody of their presumption of innocence like this case. It’s startling the way people assume that he’s guilty. He hasn’t been given one stitch of discovery. There isn’t one police report. Your package just said he paid $3,500. I’ve got the texts. Those texts––and they conceded that the check and the texts were for training. It wasn’t to pay anything! So I don’t understand where any of this comes from.”

Anderson then asked why the brothers would do such a thing: “Doesn’t it just seem weird to you that you get allegedly attacked by two people who you know and you don’t seem to recognize them, even you claimed you fought back and they ran away, and — I believe initially Mr. Smollett said one of them was white, or they were white — Isn’t it just weird that you get allegedly attacked by two people you actually know that have been on Empire that, who you have actually worked out with, and you don’t recognize them?”

“Yes,” replied Geragos. “I don’t know whether he made that statement but what I do know is that when he was told that they had evidence against these two he refused to sign the complaint because he could not believe it.”

Added Geragos: “I haven’t seen one piece of evidence and they don’t have one piece of evidence that they’ve turned over that links Jussie to this. What they do have is a great case against the two brothers….What do they have besides their word that he is in on this.”

Filed Under: Entertainment, towleroad Tagged With: Celebrities, Chicago, Entertainment, hate crime, Jussie Smollett, television, tv

Recent Posts

  • Adam Lambert Turns Cher’s ‘Believe’ into a Soaring Power Ballad: LISTEN

    Adam Lambert Turns Cher’s ‘Believe’ into a Soaring Power Ballad: LISTEN

    2 hours ago
  • WV Corrections Officers Suspended After Nazi Salute Photo Surfaces

    WV Corrections Officers Suspended After Nazi Salute Photo Surfaces

    3 hours ago
  • Trump and Giuliani Spoke on Unencrypted Phones Vulnerable to Russian Spying ‘All the Time’

    Trump and Giuliani Spoke on Unencrypted Phones Vulnerable to Russian Spying ‘All the Time’

    3 hours ago
  • ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Is a Raw and Explosive Portrait of Suburbia on the Brink: REVIEW

    ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Is a Raw and Explosive Portrait of Suburbia on the Brink: REVIEW

    12 hours ago
Previous Post: « Samantha Bee Smacks Down ‘White Supremacist’ Tucker Carlson and His ‘Revolting Trash Heap’ of a Show: WATCH
Next Post: Mike Pence Hosts Gay Irish PM Leo Varadkar and His Partner at Breakfast Meeting: PHOTOS »

Primary Sidebar

Ptown Hacks 2019

download ptown Hacks

Recent Posts

  • Adam Lambert Turns Cher’s ‘Believe’ into a Soaring Power Ballad: LISTEN

    Adam Lambert Turns Cher’s ‘Believe’ into a Soaring Power Ballad: LISTEN

    2 hours ago
  • WV Corrections Officers Suspended After Nazi Salute Photo Surfaces

    WV Corrections Officers Suspended After Nazi Salute Photo Surfaces

    3 hours ago
  • Trump and Giuliani Spoke on Unencrypted Phones Vulnerable to Russian Spying ‘All the Time’

    Trump and Giuliani Spoke on Unencrypted Phones Vulnerable to Russian Spying ‘All the Time’

    3 hours ago
  • ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Is a Raw and Explosive Portrait of Suburbia on the Brink: REVIEW

    ‘Jagged Little Pill’ Is a Raw and Explosive Portrait of Suburbia on the Brink: REVIEW

    12 hours ago
  • Joe Biden’s Tense Exchange, Turner Prize, John Kerry, Billie Eilish, Kennesaw State, Tulsi Gabbard, Mulan: HOT LINKS

    Joe Biden’s Tense Exchange, Turner Prize, John Kerry, Billie Eilish, Kennesaw State, Tulsi Gabbard, Mulan: HOT LINKS

    16 hours ago
  • Brutal Joe Biden Ad Shows World Leaders Laughing at ‘Dangerously Incompetent’ Trump: WATCH

    Brutal Joe Biden Ad Shows World Leaders Laughing at ‘Dangerously Incompetent’ Trump: WATCH

    21 hours ago
  • Nancy Pelosi Blasts Reporter Who Asks if She ‘Hates’ Trump: ‘Don’t Mess With Me When It Comes To Words Like That’ — WATCH

    Nancy Pelosi Blasts Reporter Who Asks if She ‘Hates’ Trump: ‘Don’t Mess With Me When It Comes To Words Like That’ — WATCH

    22 hours ago
  • Because Same-Sex Marriage is Illegal in Israel, This Gay Couple Tied the Knot in Portugal: WATCH

    Because Same-Sex Marriage is Illegal in Israel, This Gay Couple Tied the Knot in Portugal: WATCH

    22 hours ago
  • Hillary Clinton Tells Howard Stern She’s Not a Lesbian: ‘Contrary to What You Might Hear, I Actually Like Men’

    Hillary Clinton Tells Howard Stern She’s Not a Lesbian: ‘Contrary to What You Might Hear, I Actually Like Men’

    23 hours ago
  • Gay-Themed 1967 Robin Maugham Novel ‘The Wrong People’, Once Optioned by Sal Mineo, Finally Being Adapted for Film

    Gay-Themed 1967 Robin Maugham Novel ‘The Wrong People’, Once Optioned by Sal Mineo, Finally Being Adapted for Film

    23 hours ago
  • Nancy Pelosi Announces Drafting of Articles of Impeachment Against Trump: WATCH

    Nancy Pelosi Announces Drafting of Articles of Impeachment Against Trump: WATCH

    1 day ago
  • Pete Buttigieg Hit with Criticism Over Salvation Army Photos

    Pete Buttigieg Hit with Criticism Over Salvation Army Photos

    1 day ago
  • Denny Heck, NATO, Josh Brolin, 007, Blodwyn Campervan, Bishop Malone, Chris Pratt, Betsy DeVos: HOT LINKS

    Denny Heck, NATO, Josh Brolin, 007, Blodwyn Campervan, Bishop Malone, Chris Pratt, Betsy DeVos: HOT LINKS

    2 days ago
  • RuPaul’s Scripted Netflix Series ‘AJ and The Queen’ Gets an Official Trailer: WATCH

    RuPaul’s Scripted Netflix Series ‘AJ and The Queen’ Gets an Official Trailer: WATCH

    2 days ago
  • Israel Folau, Rugby Star Canned for Homophobic Statements, Releases Unbelievable Statement After Settlement of $14M Claim

    Israel Folau, Rugby Star Canned for Homophobic Statements, Releases Unbelievable Statement After Settlement of $14M Claim

    2 days ago

Ptown Hacks 2019. Download Now!

Follow @PtownHacks on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and sign up for the Ptown Hacks email list.

Most Commented

Footer

Read

  • Politics
  • Travel
  • Film
  • Theatre
  • Television
  • Science
  • Law – LGBT Rights
  • Columns
  • Specials

About

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Towleroad
  • Towleroad on Social Media
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2019 · News Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in