Jussie Smollett Found Guilty Of Staging Fake Hate Crime, Faces 3 Years In Prison
Well, on the bright side, if we was looking for publicity, he’s certainly got it now. And now that the case is over, I’m sure we’ll all be subjected to some sort of image makeover/press tour as he tries to repair his reputation, once he’s out of prison (assuming he even receives any time, which doesn’t sound likely). CBS Chicago:
Former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was convicted on five counts Thursday evening on charges he orchestrated a fake hate crime against himself nearly three years ago, while jurors acquitted him of one other count.
A jury of six men and six women deliberated more than nine hours over two days before finding Smollett guilty of five of six counts of disorderly conduct, accusing the actor of staging a fake racist and homophobic attack against himself in January 2019, and then lying to police about it, in a bid for publicity. Jurors found him not guilty of the sixth count of disorderly conduct.
The disorderly conduct charges are class 4 felonies, carrying a sentence of up to three years in prison. Smollett will remain free on bond as he awaits sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.
CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller has said it’s unlikely Smollett would be sentenced to significant time in prison, if any, despite previously pleading no contest to charges he lied to police by giving his brother’s name during a DUI arrest in California.
“So he’s not really a first-time offender. So when this case comes down to sentencing in a month or so from now, the judge is going to have a pre-sentence report by a probation officer, which lays out his entire background — the good stuff, the bad stuff — and decide whether or not he should get probation. And, frankly, under Illinois law, for a class 4 felony, there’s a presumption that he should get probation,” Miller said.
[CBS: Jussie Smollett Convicted Of 5 Of 6 Counts Of Orchestrating Fake Hate Crime Against Himself]
