the Jussie Smollett case

Nah · Feb 17, 2019

Two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation tell CNN that Chicago Police believe actor Jussie Smollett paid two men to orchestrate an assault on him that he reported late last month.

Smollett denies playing a role in his attack, according to a statement from his attorneys.
The men, who are brothers, were arrested Wednesday but released without charges Friday after Chicago police cited the discovery of "new evidence."
The sources told CNN the two men are now cooperating fully with law enforcement.
Smollett told authorities he was attacked early January 29 by two men who were "yelling out racial and homophobic slurs." He said one attacker put a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on him.
The sources told CNN there are records that show the two brothers purchased the rope found around Smollett's neck at a hardware store in Chicago.
Smollett's attorneys, Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson, issued a statement to CNN Saturday night saying Smollett was angry about these latest developments.
Smollett's attorneys said they expect further updates from Chicago police on the investigation and will continue cooperating with authorities.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/16/entertainment/jussie-smollett-attack/index.html

LDSman · Feb 17, 2019

This was suspicious from the beginning. Two racist homophobes are out at 2am in one of the coldest nights of the year and attack this guy and only give him a scrape? He doesn't even lose the sandwich. He also doesn't say a word to the security guard.

EnglishALT · Feb 17, 2019

I just hope that between this attack and the Covington kids incident, the media and politicians have learned not to jump to conclusions until all the facts emerge.

LDSman · Feb 17, 2019

EnglishALT said:
I just hope that between this attack and the Covington kids incident, the media and politicians have learned not to jump to conclusions until all the facts emerge.

Nope. They'll keep leaping and the less suspicious will follow along.

Grey Wind · Feb 18, 2019

If he did in fact stage the whole thing (which seems pretty likely), he's an awful person. It's only gonna make people more skeptical of actual hate crimes.

LDSman · Feb 18, 2019

https://apple.news/A03VZtomWStmoOvG9355c1g

Grand jury to hear the case soon. One article even mentions that recovered evidence was cut up magazines. Smollett was sent a threatening letter that used cut up magazines.

Betting that he redacted his phone records to hide the messages to his "attackers".

Maedar · Feb 18, 2019

You know, I am in no way condoning what Smollett did. He was nothing but a con artist trying to gain publicity by taking advantage of a national trend.

But I have a question for the conservative posters here. Were you this outraged in 2002 when Donald Trump demanded the execution of the Central Park Five? As in, after they had been acquitted?

The information is here:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/20...tral-park-five-are-guilty-despite-dna-n661941

Think hard before you answer that.

EnglishALT · Feb 18, 2019

Maedar said:
You know, I am in no way condoning what Smollett did. He was nothing but a con artist trying to gain publicity by taking advantage of a national trend.

But I have a question for the conservative posters here. Were you this outraged in 2002 when Donald Trump demanded the execution of the Central Park Five? As in, after they had been acquitted?

The information is here:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/20...tral-park-five-are-guilty-despite-dna-n661941

Think hard before you answer that.

Whataboutism at it's finest.

Anyway I was just about to post about the letter, TMZ is reporting that the brothers told police that Jussie staged the attack after the letter did not get enough attention.

Now if the letter was sent through the mail system and the pictures do show stamps on it, then Jussie could be in trouble of carrying out a terroristic threat.

https://www.tmz.com/2019/02/18/jussie-smollett-rehearse-attack-brothers-law-enforcement/

Maedar · Feb 18, 2019

Whataboutism at it's finest.

I'd like an answer please. Seems like a double standard here.

LDSman · Feb 18, 2019

Maedar said:
You know, I am in no way condoning what Smollett did. He was nothing but a con artist trying to gain publicity by taking advantage of a national trend.

I agree that there is national trend for fake hate crimes. It gets people lots of publicity.

But I have a question for the conservative posters here. Were you this outraged in 2002 when Donald Trump demanded the execution of the Central Park Five? As in, after they had been acquitted?

The information is here:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/20...tral-park-five-are-guilty-despite-dna-n661941

Think hard before you answer that.

That has nothing to do with this case. I find your attempt amusing though.

It does amuse me that TMZ is getting this info out faster and more accurately than the mainstream news.

Maedar · Feb 18, 2019

I agree that there is national trend for fake hate crimes. It gets people lots of publicity.

There are others?

That has nothing to do with this case. I find your attempt amusing though.

Both involved accusing people of serious crimes they didn't commit.

So why is it so different now.

And as for the TMV story, I don't a story with a thumbnail on the same page as a review of the live-action version of Aladdin (with the headline, "Who's that Smurf?") convincing.

LDSman · Feb 18, 2019

Maedar said:
There are others?

Lots.

http://www.fakehatecrimes.org

Handy database.

Both involved accusing people of serious crimes they didn't commit.

So why is it so different now.

And as for the TMV story, I don't a story with a thumbnail on the same page as a review of the live-action version of Aladdin (with the headline, "Who's that Smurf?") convincing.

Why is it different now? Well the thread is about Jesse Smollett and not what Trump did.

How about CNN?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cn...tertainment/jussie-smollett-empire/index.html

Same info.

Maedar · Feb 18, 2019

LDS, I'm not debating that this man is a con artist who staged the attack. Don't think he's a terrorist. I do think there are worse things to worry about on the news.

Roger Stone just threatened the judge in his own case. Protests are going on in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Austin, Texas over Trump's non-Emergency. Dan Rather has spoken out against it too. There now seems to be solid proof of fraud committed in the North Carolina Senate election. And quite a few of Trump's supporters are expressing outrage at owing taxes up to five times previous.

And you seem explicitly focused on a story that of an actor committing fraud. Yeah.

LDSman · Feb 18, 2019

Maedar said:
LDS, I'm not debating that this man is a con artist who staged the attack. Don't think he's a terrorist. I do think there are worse things to worry about on the news.

Roger Stone just threatened the judge in his own case. Protests are going on in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Austin, Texas over Trump's non-Emergency. Dan Rather has spoken out against it too. There now seems to be solid proof of fraud committed in the North Carolina Senate election. And quite a few of Trump's supporters are expressing outrage at owing taxes up to five times previous.

And you seem explicitly focused on a story that of an actor committing fraud. Yeah.

Because that is what this thread is about? You want to argue the other things, go make a thread or three about them. Stop trying to derail this one.

EnglishALT · Feb 18, 2019

Maedar said:
LDS, I'm not debating that this man is a con artist who staged the attack. Don't think he's a terrorist. I do think there are worse things to worry about on the news.

The thing about the letter is that he faces a substantial amount of jail time for sending a threatening letter even if it's to himself. Somewhere between 5 and 20 years in federal prison because he was using the postal service.

https://legalbeagle.com/8603705-laws-threatening-letters.html
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/876

LDSman · Feb 18, 2019

EnglishALT said:
The thing about the letter is that he faces a substantial amount of jail time for sending a threatening letter even if it's to himself. Somewhere between 5 and 20 years in federal prison because he was using the postal service.

https://legalbeagle.com/8603705-laws-threatening-letters.html
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/876

I think that would be an amusing ending. His attempts to fake a hate crime have him committing a real crime....against himself!!! 😂

Maedar · Feb 18, 2019

You have to admit, LDS, such a concept is... weird. I kinda wonder if a prosecutor would consider wasting a court's time and money pursuing it.

Prosecuting him for fraud or creating a public nuisance would be feasible, possibly even malicious mischief, the same charge crank calls fall under. But I truly doubt a judge is going to buy a felony charge of a man making death threats against himself.

LDSman · Feb 18, 2019

Maedar said:
You have to admit, LDS, such a concept is... weird. I kinda wonder if a prosecutor would consider wasting a court's time and money pursuing it.

Prosecuting him for fraud or creating a public nuisance would be feasible, possibly even malicious mischief, the same charge crank calls fall under. But I truly doubt a judge is going to buy a felony charge of a man making death threats against himself.

Why do you keep calling it fraud? A public nuisance? If this is true, he attempted to stoke racial tensions to portray himself as a victim. This is a bit past crank calls. The public reaction could have been so much worse. Would you be so dismissive if a white guy had tried this? People got mad when someone tried that a few years back. I wonder if I can find that case?

And the law doesn't care who sent it or why. Just that a threatening letter was sent.

Maedar · Feb 18, 2019

If you truly think a prosecutor will be taken seriously charging a man for mailing a threatening letter to himself, more power to you.

I tend to think it will cause a media circus and not taken seriously.

Would you be so dismissive if a white guy had tried this?

In case you forgot, I had no idea who this guy was in the first place.

LDSman · Feb 18, 2019

Maedar said:
If you truly think a prosecutor will be taken seriously charging a man for mailing a threatening letter to himself, more power to you.

I tend to think it will cause a media circus and not taken seriously.

In case you forgot, I had no idea who this guy was in the first place.

The police take wasting their time very seriously. And it won't even be the first case of a fake hate threat being prosecuted.

the Jussie Smollett case

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