Jussie Smollettand his legal team are gearing up to launch an “aggressive defense” after the actor, 36, was charged with filing a false police report about hisalleged hate attack.
“Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked,” Smollett’s attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said in a statement given to PEOPLE.
“Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the state’s attorney’s office said: “The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has approved a disorderly conduct charge on Jussie Smollett.”
Anthony Guglielmi, Chief Communications Officer for the Chicago police, alsoconfirmedon Twitter Wednesday that theEmpireactor faces felony charges of disorderly conduct and filing a false police report.
“Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest,” Guglielmi also tweeted.
Jussie Smollett.David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty
If Smollett is found guilty, falsifying a police report is a Class 4 felony which carries a potential sentence of one to three years in prison.
Smollett is due in court in Chicago at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Smollettdefended himselfagainst the claims in a recent interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts.
Last week, brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo — identified in surveillance footage on the night of the incident — werearrestedandreleased without charges. The following day, reports emerged that the brothers claimed theEmpirestar paid them to stage the incident.
Jussie Smollett.Leon Bennett/Getty
An attorney for the men, Gloria Schmidt, previously toldCBS Chicagothat the men know Smollett from working onEmpireand occasionally go to the same gym as the actor. She did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“One of these purported suspects was Jussie’s personal trainer who he hired to ready him physically for a music video,” the statement continued. “It is impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie’s complicity.”
source: people.com
