Prosecutors Decided to Drop Smollett Charges Weeks before Announcing It

Prosecutors in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office decided against prosecuting Empire actor Jussie Smollett just one week after he turned himself into police, roughly a month before making the decision public, according to newly unsealed court documents.In late February, Assistant State's Attorney Risa Lanier instructed Chicago Police Department detectives to halt their investigation into the hoax hate crime Smollett allegedly staged and suggested that the celebrity actor could r