Jussie Smollett Found Guilty Of Falsely Reporting A Hate Crime
Actor Jussie Smollett was found guilty on five out of six felony counts of disorderly conduct while making a false police statement. The verdict stems from the charges he received back in January 2019, when the Empire star allegedly staged a “hate crime” in Chicago.
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.
Smollett was acquitted of making a false report to Chicago detective weeks after the alleged attack.
Special prosecutor Dan Webb said in a news conference that Smollett may not have lost the case if he haven’t given a ridiculous story to explain his misconduct.
Defense attorney Nenye Uche called the verdict inconsistent, saying the jury cannot find Smollett lied in five instances but did not in the sixth. Uche said the defense team will appeal.
“It’s pretty disappointing, what happened,” he told reporters at the courthouse. “But we remain confident that we’re gonna come back and he’s going to be vindicated.”
As the courtroom cleared out, Jurnee Smollett, Jussie’s sister and actress was the first to hug her brother.
The next court date is set for January 27 for post-trial motions.
