The move is a dramatic reversal in a case in which police alleged just last month that the 36-year-old "Empire" actor hired two acquaintances to attack him along a street in late January to promote his career.The Cook County State's Attorney's Office released little about why it abandoned the felony disorderly conduct charges, except to say it came after reviewing the case's facts, and that the actor agreed to forfeit his $10,000 bond. Parts of the case will be sealed, one of Smollett's attorneys said."After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett's volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case," the state's attorney's office said in a statement.Smollett's attorneys maintain that the actor was indeed attacked in Chicago on January 29 and that misinformation led to a rush to judgment against him.The many twists and turns in the Jussie Smollett investigation After a brief appearance in a courtroom where the charges were formally dropped, Smollett told reporters Tuesday morning he was thankful to everyone who stood by him, and that he wouldn't have put his family "through a fire like this" for a lie."I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since Day One," Smollett said before leaving the court building. "I would not be my mother's son if I was capable of one drop of what I've been accused of."Smollett said he wanted to move on with his life, adding that he "will always continue to fight for the justice, equality and betterment of marginalized people everywhere."A grand jury indicted Smollett earlier this month on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct after what police said was weeks of painstaking investigation. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any involvement in orchestrating an attack. But Chicago's mayor and police superintendent reacted angrily to the news — and both said they still believed Smollett's story was a hoax.

Mayor: This is a 'whitewash of justice'

Mayor Rahm Emanuel suggested Smollett is walking "scot-free" because of his stature as an actor, and emphasized that a grand jury indicted him after seeing the evidence that detectives put forward.Text messages and rideshares helped police uncover evidence in the Jussie Smollett caseEmanuel accused the actor of using hate-crime laws to promote himself."Is there no decency in this man?" the mayor asked reporters hours after the charges were dropped."A grand jury saw the evidence (and) realized this was a hoax — a hoax on the city, a hoax on hate crimes, a hoax on people of good values who actually were empathetic at first. "And he used that empathy for only one reason … himself," Emanuel said."This is without a doubt a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you're in a position of influence and power, you'll get treated one way. Other people will be treated another way," Emanuel said. "There is no accountability in the system. It is wrong, full stop."As Jussie Smollett proclaims innocence, mayor and police chief take aim at 'whitewash of justice'Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said he stood by his detectives' conclusions: That Smollett staged the attack."If you want to say you're innocent of the situation, then you take your day in court," Johnson said, standing next to Emanuel. ""At the end of the day, it's Mr. Smollett who committed this hoax, period," Johnson said. "If he wanted to clear his name, the way to do that was in a court of law so that everybody could see the evidence."

Smollett said that men attacked him, using racial and homophobic slurs

Smollett, who is black and gay, reported to police that two men attacked him near the lower entrance of a hotel around 2 a.m. on January 29 as he was walking back from getting something to eat. Smollett, who plays a gay character on the Fox drama "Empire," said the attackers yelled, " 'Empire' fa***t'" and " 'Empire' n***er," while striking him, police said. The incident ended with a noose around his neck and bleach poured on him, police said.Jussie Smollett's case may still cast a shadow over his career The actor said one of the men shouted, "This is MAGA country," a reference to President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, according to police.Police initially investigated the case as a possible hate crime.After police detained and interviewed two brothers who were "persons of interest" in the case, Johnson, the police superintendent, announced that Smollett was being charged, saying that Smollett knew the men and paid them to stage the attack.The brothers were released without being charged. Smollett paid the brothers $3,500 to attack him, to take "advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career," Johnson said when announcing the charges last month.And days before the assault, Smollett first "attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter" to the "Empire" set "that relied on racial, homophobic and political language," Johnson said. It contained white powder and a drawing of a "stick figure hanging from a tree," police have said.According to prosecutors, Smollett told one of the brothers that he was disappointed in the "Empire" team's reaction to the letter. "When that didn't work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack," the police superintendent said.Authorities Read More – Source

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