UPDATE: Smollett has been released on bond.
#Breaking: @JussieSmollett has posted $10,000 of the $100,000 bond.
— Marina Marraco (@MarinaMarraco) February 21, 2019
He also surrendered his passport.
Smollett is facing charges for disorderly conduct and a felony charge for falsifying a police report. pic.twitter.com/aHYKzNlr85
ORIGINAL POST
"Empire" star Jussie Smollett is now in police custody after admitting to filing a false police report. He faced his court hearing Thursday afternoon, where the judge put his bail at $100,000 and said the actor must surrender his passport.
Outside the Chicago courthouse, Prosecutor Risa Lanier offered more information about the hoax hate crime Smollett staged. The actor paid two Nigerian brothers $3,500 to pretend to attack him and reportedly told them to mention "MAGA" in the attack to make it seem as though two President Trump supporters ambushed him. On 12:49 a.m. on the morning of the alleged attack, Smollett spoke with the brothers on the phone to discuss the timing of the assault.
The actor claimed to have received a letter at "Empire's" Fox studios that contained written threats and a white powdery substance. Lanier confirmed that Smollett wrote the letter himself and that forensic experts discovered the mysterious powder was crushed ibuprofen tablets.
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In a press conference Thursday morning, the Chicago PD said they were "pissed off" at Smollett for staging the attack, which dragged the city's reputation and drained them of precious resources.
Why did the actor do it? According to police, he was "dissatisfied" with his salary.
Chicago police say Jussie Smollett faked a letter using racist & homophobic language and when that didn't get attention, they say he paid $3,500 to two brothers in order to stage the attack. Police say it was because he was "dissatisfied with his salary." https://t.co/u9DTxEWrAO
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) February 21, 2019
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