Chicago officials said they were planning to send actor Jussie Smollett a bill for the cost of the investigation into claims that he was a victim of a “hate crime.”
“From a 30,000-foot view, the bill will include the hours, the overtime, the financial costs and the resources that were used,” Guglielmi said.
“It was an extensive investigation that required a lot of review of cameras. There was technical assistance provided by external agencies, but it’ll likely only include Chicago expenses and not expenses incurred by the FBI and other technical experts we brought in for analysis,” he added.
The approximate cost or the timeline for when the bill will be due was not provided.
“The police right now is assembling the cost of what was put into this and the Corporation Counsel will take action based on those costs directly to Jussie Smollett,” Emanuel said.
“The Corporation Counsel, once they ... feel good about the numbers will then send a letter to Jussie Smollett and his attorneys trying to recoup those costs for the city,” he added.
“It’s a small way of acknowledging 1. guilt, and 2. that we spent these resources and that the taxpayers deserve a minimum ... ethical cost.”
“Here’s the thing—we work to prioritize violent crime and the drivers of violent crime. Public safety is our number one priority. I don’t see Jussie Smollett as a threat to public safety,” Magats said.
“We stand behind the investigation, we stand behind the decision to charge him and we stand behind the charges in the case. The mere fact that it was disposed of in an alternative manner does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities in the case or the evidence,” he added.
President Donald Trump commented on the situation early March 28, alerting people that he was getting federal authorities involved.
“FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago. It is an embarrassment to our Nation!” he said in a post on Twitter.