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The Chicago Police Department is demanding that Jussie Smollett fork over the cash it cost them to investigate his claims and they demanded the actor cough up more than $130,000 in a scathing letter on Thursday.
Although all charges against the EMPIRE star have been dropped, the letter insists that he staged the attack and knowingly filed a false police report.
Jussie Smollett still not in the clear, FBI investigates letter sent to ‘Empire’
“The City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department take seriously those who make false statements to the police, thereby diverting resources from other investigations and undermining the criminal justice system. On January 29, 2019, you made a police report in which you falsely claimed that two men had attacked you while yelling racial and homophobic slurs,” the letter reads.
“The Chicago Police Department conducted an extensive investigation into this report. Over two dozen detectives and police officers participated in the investigation, ultimately spending weeks investigating your false claims, including a substantial number of overtime hours. As part of this investigation, Chicago police reviewed video and physical evidence and conducted several interviews, expending resources that could have been used for other investigations. Ultimately, the Chicago police investigation revealed that you knowingly filed a false police report and knowingly orchestrated your own attack.”
In the letter, the police department demands that Jussie Smollett repays the $130,106.15 the force spent overtime hours during the investigation and threatened to pursue legal action against him if he refuses.
A representative from Smollett’s legal team released a statement on Thursday.
“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. Jussie has paid enough.”