Jussie Smollett's Problems Continue

Jussie Smollett awaits sentencing after being convicted of staging a hate crime against himself. He potentially faces multiple years in prison, though some experts believe he’ll get probation. Even if he manages to avoid jail time, he now may have to pay back the city of Chicago for the costs incurred investigating the hate crime that didn’t actually happen.

“The City filed a civil lawsuit against Jussie Smollett to recover costs incurred by the Chicago Police Department investigating what the City believed to be Smollett’s false police reports that he was a victim of a hate crime,” the city said in a statement obtained by Fox News. “While using a different standard of proof, the jury’s finding of guilt convicting Jussie Smollett of criminal charges stemming from the incident confirms that the City was correct in bringing its civil lawsuit.”

“The City intends to continue to pursue its lawsuit to hold Smollett accountable for his unlawful actions and to demand that he compensate the City for costs incurred by the Chicago Police Department which took his false claims of harm seriously,” the statement continued.

According to special prosecutor Dan Webb, “26 Chicago police officers spent 3000 hours of time, costing the city well over $100,000 for a fake crime that never occurred.”