The decision is in. Jussie Smollett was discovered responsible in a prison trial after he was accused of faking an alleged assault towards him in January 2019.
The jury introduced on Thursday, December 9, that the Empire alum, 39, was convicted of 5 out of six felony counts of disorderly conduct. The choice got here after a weeklong trial in Chicago. He faces as much as three years behind bars and a $25,000 nice.
Smollett pleaded not responsible to all six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly making false reviews to police. He vehemently denied orchestrating or making up the assault.
Brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, whom the actor knew from the set of Empire, testified through the trial that Smollett — who's Black and homosexual — ordered them to hold out a pretend racist and homophobic assault towards him to garner sympathetic media coverage.
When requested on the stand whether or not he mentioned creating a “hoax” with the brothers, Smollett responded, “No.” He additionally claimed that he “by no means” gave them a test as fee for the supposed rip-off both.
The Mighty Geese star alleged in January 2019 that he was the victim of a hate crime in Chicago. “I'm working with authorities and have been 100 % factual and constant on each stage. Regardless of my frustrations and deep concern with sure inaccuracies and misrepresentations which have been unfold, I nonetheless consider that justice shall be served,” he mentioned in a statement the following month. “As my household acknowledged, a lot of these cowardly assaults are occurring to my sisters, brothers and non-gender conforming siblings each day. I'm not and shouldn't be appeared upon as an remoted incident.”
He added on the time: “Most significantly, throughout instances of trauma, grief and ache, there's nonetheless a accountability to guide with love. It’s all I do know. And that may’t be kicked out of me.”
Authorities quickly shifted their focus to Smollett, believing that he staged the alleged attack. Us Weekly confirmed in February 2019 that he was charged with making a false police report. The next month, he was indicted by a grand jury on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct, to which he pleaded not guilty. In a controversial transfer, Prepare dinner County, Illinois, prosecutors dropped all the criminal charges against him in March 2019.
Nonetheless, the Marshall star was indicted once more in February 2020 on six counts for making false reviews to police. His trial was subsequently delayed for greater than a yr because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
