Thursday March 7 the Grand jury of the County of cook (Il) showed Dzhussi the Smollett 15 additional charges and now the actor faces a longer prison term (to 48 years), as well as punitive damages in the amount of $400 thousand.
Last month, the American actor, who became famous thanks to the TV series «Empire», filed charges for the crime 4 class- making a false statement to the police. Then he faced up to 3 years in prison. But this week the court of cook County issued a new indictment, which decided to nominate Smollett 15 additional charges in connection with the «organization of homophobic and racist attacks».
The actor is accused of having hired the brothers Abimbola and Albino, Osundare from Nigeria so they made an assault on him. For such work he was paid to men, $3.5 thousand. the Incident occurred in January. At the police station when applying Smollett called it «racist and homophobic». Sources believe that the actor behind the attack, because he was dissatisfied with the fee for her role in «Empire.» Smollett continues to insist on his innocence.
Currently, he’s expected to make a deal with the authorities. So far, no audacity by Smollett, nor the prosecutors for cook County did not comment on the new indictment. The next hearing is scheduled for March 14.
Staged the attack hate not only abruptly changed the fate of the Dzhussi by Smollett, depriving his acting career, but about 50 people – employees of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. As it became known, at least 50 hospital employees could be fired for unauthorized viewing of medical profile and records of the actor.
So, one of the dismissed employees was a woman, who introduced themselves as journalists like Susan (full name is not mentioned for privacy reasons). At Northwestern Memorial Hospital, she worked as a surgical nurse. The woman said that last week lost his job from a breach of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – privacy rules to protect information about the physical and mental health of patients).
«It was just curiosity,» said she. «I walked in and started looking for it [Dzhussi by Smollett] name. I clicked the mouse once, but never went in his card.»
Another former employee, dismissed from office administrator, also told how the name of Smollett impact on her life. In the days when about the attack mentioned in the news, she was approached by a colleague and asked whether the actor is accepted under a pseudonym or not. Why the need information the woman asked, thinking that this is a professional request. Few weeks she was called to the personnel Department on the issue, and at the end of February was dismissed because the access to the records of Smollett without permission. She is stunned and suspects that many of her former colleagues were dismissed or punished for the same.
The representative of the Northwestern Medicine said can not comment on this issue because of the limitations of HIPAA and the policy of the hospital that do not allow to discuss the employment status of any employee.
