Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty in a Chicago courtroom Monday to new criminal charges against him that allege he lied to police about being the victim of a hate crime.
The most recent set of charges, announced early this month, claim the former Empire star made four false police reports following Smollett’s initial declaration that he was attacked on Jan. 29, 2019, in Chicago.
The 37-year-old pleaded not guilty to six counts of felony disorderly conduct during the hearing and his lawyer Tina Glandian told Judge James B. Linn that she’s requested the Illinois Supreme Court stop the case.
Linn, however, continued with the proceedings, setting a US$20,000 individual bond and ordering Smollett to appear in court again on March 18.
Last year, Smollett pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of the same charge in the same courthouse, but soon after, prosecutors in Cook County, Ill., suddenly announced they were dropping all charges. No details were provided at the time as to why charges were dismissed and those lawyers aren’t involved in the new case.
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