The Chicago Police Department reportedly opened an internal investigation on Thursday (Mar. 7) after information from Jussie Smollett’s alleged hate crime case was leaked, CNN reports.
“I would like to point out that a lot of the information out there was inaccurate and there were numerous agencies involved in this investigation,” Sergeant Rocco Alioto of the Chicago PD Office of Communications said. “As a standard procedure when there are allegations of information being leaked, an internal investigation has been opened and we are also looking at our vulnerabilities.”
The leaks are connected to Smollett’s medical records following his alleged attack in Jan. 2019. According to CB2 Chicago, at least a dozen employees at Northwestern Hospital were terminated for inappropriately accessing Smollett’s hospital files. The employees reportedly gained access to the actor’s medical chart after he had been admitted for injuries pertaining to the attack. One of the nurses who was fired claimed the incident was a “misunderstanding.”
As previously reported, Smollett was allegedly attacked in Jan. 2019. At the time, he alleged that he was the victim of a homophobic and racist crime that was orchestrated by two MAGA supporters. After an extensive investigation, the Chicago police suggested that Smollett staged the entire incident to advance his career. Smollett was later arrested for disorderly conduct after police found the two men who allegedly helped stage the event as well as other evidence.
Smollett ad his legal team have maintained his innocence throughout the whole ordeal. “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,” Smollett’s attorneys said in February.
Smollett is due in court on Mar. 14.