Two years following the ‘incident,’ a Chicago jury of his peers found Jussie Smollett guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct for making false reports to police that he was a victim of a hate crime in January 2019.
According to the law, a disorderly conduct charge for a false crime report is a Class 4 felony and punishable by up to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
Following the five guilty verdicts against the actor/singer, special prosecutor Dan Webb held a news conference , calling the jury’s decision “a resounding message.”
The former “Empire” star was found guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for making false reports to police that he was the victim of a hate crime in January 2019 and was acquitted on one count of felony disorderly conduct.
In his own defense Smollett took the stand and testified before the Chicago jury that he never lied to police and denied orchestrating the attack on himself. Prosecutors sought to show that the actor made false reports to police after paying Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo (by check) to carry out a staged hate crime attack against him in order to garner sympathetic media coverage and increased pay from the television show.
Nenye Uche, Jussie Smollett’s attorney, said he “respectfully disagrees” with the jury’s verdict, adding that he feels “100% confident” that his client will be won on appeal. On behalf of his client, the lawyer stated that Jussie is disappointed by the verdict but emphasized that his team remains confident in the actor’s innocence and said he is hopeful to get a “fair result” in appellate court.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Ben P L