Well, not-so-good news for Jussie Smollett: This Friday, an Illinois appeals court upheld the actor’s disorderly conduct conviction after a panel voted 2-1 to affirm it.
As we previously reported, the former Empire star was convicted in 2021 for staging a racist, homophobic attack on himself back in 2019. He was also accused of filing a false police report from that incident. Although Smollett has maintained that he had no part in the planning the alleged attack, investigators were confident that he staged it with two aspiring actors he knew from the television show he was filming in Chicago.
As a result of his alleged actions, Smollett was convicted on five counts of disorderly conduct, and sentenced to 150 days in jail along with 30 months felony probation and restitution. Now, Smollett’s lawyers can appeal today’s decision to the Illinois Supreme Court. However, if the conviction is not overturned, Mr. Smollett will have no choice but to finish his 150-day jail sentence that he received in 2022. Smollett was only in jail for six days before his release… due to his appeal.
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Recapping Jussie Smollett’s Hoax Crime Case:
In 2019, Jussie Smollett, an actor known for his role on the television show “Empire,” reported that he had been the victim of a hate crime. According to his initial account, Smollett claimed that he was attacked by two individuals who yelled racial and homophobic slurs at him, poured a chemical substance on him, and placed a noose around his neck. This incident gained significant media attention and sparked a widespread public outcry.
However, as the investigation progressed, there were doubts raised about the veracity of Smollett’s claims. It was alleged that Smollett had orchestrated the attack himself and had hired two individuals to carry it out. The police claimed that they had evidence to suggest that Smollett had staged the incident in order to gain attention and advance his career.
As a result, Smollett was charged with multiple counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. The case garnered further attention and controversy as it unfolded, with conflicting narratives and heated debates surrounding Smollett’s innocence or guilt.
Smollett was ultimately indicted by a grand jury and arrested. However, in a surprising turn of events, the charges against him were dropped by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in exchange for community service and forfeiture of his bail money. This decision drew criticism and sparked controversy, leading to a special prosecutor being appointed to re-examine the case.
The legal proceedings continued, and in February 2020, Smollett was indicted again on six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly making false reports to the police. The case went to trial in 2022, resulting in Smollett’s conviction for disorderly conduct. The recent decision by the Illinois Appeals Court to uphold this conviction further adds to the complexity and ongoing legal saga surrounding Jussie Smollett.