This weekend brought on some wild accusations surrounding Jussie Smollett and the vicious attack he was victim to in Chicago a few weekends ago. First, there were reports that the Empire actor orchestrated the attack himself but he quickly denied the rumors. “Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying," Jussie said.
Before the hate crime took place, Jussie received threatening letters and according to The Blast, the person who sent the messages are facing up to five years. According to the publication, the charge would be for "mailing threatening communications" that states:
"Whoever knowingly so deposits or causes to be delivered as aforesaid, any communication with or without a name or designating mark subscribed thereto, addressed to any other person and containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to injure the person of the addressee or of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."
Police are looking into the threatening letters, whether they believe the attack was set up or not.
“As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with," Jussie's attorney's stated. “He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”