A judge has set Jussie Smollett’s bail at $100,000 and one of the conditions of his bail is that he must surrender his passport.
The 36-year-old actor was in a Chicago courtroom Thursday for his bail hearing after he turned himself into authorities earlier in the day on one felony count of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report, per ABC Chicago 7. (RELATED: Chicago Police Say ‘Empire’ Actor Refuses To Turn Over Phone Records)
2017 BET Awards Photo Room Los Angeles, California, U.S., 25/06/2017 – Jussie Smollett. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok
As part of the bail conditions, he must also surrender his passport and post 10 percent of the total bail in order to be released, according to TMZ. He also denied the allegation against him in court, per Fox News. (RELATED: Jussie Smollett On MAGA Hats: ‘I Never Said That’)
Smollett also reportedly must undergo pre-trial monitoring before he is scheduled to be back in court March 14th when he is expected to enter a plea.
During a press conference this morning, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, claimed Smollett first wrote a letter to the “Empire” studio that used racial and homophobic slurs. When that failed to get attention, he allegedly paid the two Osundario brothers—whom he was familiar with—$3,500 to stage the attack near his home on Jan. 29th to “promote his career.”
“‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger to promote his career,” Johnson told the press. “I am left hanging my head and asking, ‘Why? Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?'”
“‘How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol and see an opportunity to manipulate that symbol to further his own public profile?'” he added. “‘How can an individual who has been embraced by the city of Chicago turn around and slap everyone in this city in the face by making these false claims?'”
A statement from Smollett’s attorney about the allegation read, “Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked. Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”
If convicted, he could get up to three years in prison.