The city of Chicago isn’t letting Jussie Smollett off the hook as easily as the state attorney’s office.
They’ve sent a letter to Smollett’s legal team demanding he pay $130k for their investigation or they will prosecute him for refusing to do so.
And he’s only got 7 days to comply.
Here’s more:
MY FOX 8 – The city of Chicago wants $130,106.15 in the next seven days from actor Jussie Smollett to cover the cost of the investigation into claims he was attacked in what he described to police investigators as a possible hate crime.
In a letter sent to Smollett in care of his attorneys, the city’s corporation counsel says if Smollett doesn’t pay, the city might prosecute him using Chicago’s municipal code or other legal remedies.
“The city feels this is a reasonable and legally justifiable amount to collect to help offset the costs of the investigation,” city spokesman Bill McCaffrey said.
Smollett’s defense team did not comment on the letter and referred CNN to an earlier statement, in which they said Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson need to apologize to their client.
“It is the Mayor and the Police Chief who owe Jussie — owe him an apology — for dragging an innocent man’s character through the mud,” the attorneys said. “Jussie has paid enough.”
In the letter, the city says two dozen police personnel worked the case, which used resources that could have been spent investigating other crimes.
The city asked for a certified cashier’s check or money order made out to “City of Chicago.”
Honestly $130k seems on the low side compared to what I thought it would cost.
But I’m happy to see the city of Chicago standing their ground and demanding that he pay for their investigation into his hoax.
Though it doesn’t sound like Smollett is going to comply with their defiant response to the letter.
In related news, Empire just had its lowest ratings ever:
Jussie Smollett‘s TV drama crashed and burned Wednesday night, when 3.97 million viewers tuned in – the lowest ratings in the show’s history, according to TVLine.
Lee Daniels, the show’s co-creator and executive producer, has said that the past few weeks have been “a freakin’ rollercoaster” for the cast and crew.
Man you know they are pissed at Smollett big time.