Actor Jussie Smollett leaves the Leighton Criminal Court Building after his hearing in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. March 14, 2019. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski
(Reuters) – Illinois prosecutors on Tuesday dropped charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett relating to allegations he staged a hate crime attack to gain publicity, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, citing a statement from his lawyers.
“Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him,” according to the statement from attorneys Tina Glandian and Patricia Brown Holmes, published by the newspaper.
Smollett had pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in a Chicago court on March 14.
Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe
