Star faces 48yrs’ jail over ‘fake assault’
apologised to the cast of the musical drama, but maintained his innocence.
Smollett is accused of paying two brothers to stage the attack on January 29.
The grand jury returned 16 counts of disorderly conduct against him. Each count carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $25,000 (£19,000) fine.
Smollett denies all the charges and will appear in court later this month.
His lawyers have said they will ‘mount an aggressive defence’ of Smollett, who they described as ‘a young man of impeccable character’.
‘A young man of impeccable character’
ACTOR Jussie Smollett is facing up to 48 years in prison after being charged by a grand jury in Chicago over claims he staged a homophobic and racist attack in an attempt to boost his career.
The 36-year-old star of Empire is accused of falsely claiming to police that he had been a victim of a hate crime when he was attacked by two men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs.
He was originally charged on February 20 with one count of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, after telling officers in Chicago in late January that he had been set upon by the men while getting takeaway food at 2am.
Last month the gay actor was suspended from the hit TV show. Smollett reportedly