Jussie Smollett’s Fake Hate Crime Conviction and Sentences Upheld by Appeals Court. The “Empire” star attempted to have his charges dropped, alleging a variety of issues, including the “invalid appointment” of the special prosecutor assigned to his case.
Jussie Smollett’s Fake Hate Crime Conviction and Sentences Upheld by Appeals Court. According to court records obtained by the media, an Illinois judge has upheld actor Jussie Smollett’s disorderly conduct conviction for faking a hate crime against himself in 2019.
This comes almost two years after he was convicted of faking a hate crime on himself as well as filing a fraudulent police complaint. In March 2022, he was sentenced to 150 days in prison and then freed awaiting his appeal.
Smollett, an out homosexual Black actor, was booked with six counts of disorderly conduct in January 2019 after informing police he had been the victim of a racist and homophobic assault. Each tally reflects one incident of media reporting a false assertion at the time.
On five of the six charges, he was found guilty.
He reportedly informed police that he was going to his Chicago house in the early morning hours of Jan. 29 when he was accosted by two masked guys, one of whom was wearing a red hat. According to media reports at the time, he said they also drenched him in bleach and tied a noose around his neck.
Prosecutors said Smollett orchestrated the incident in order to get media attention and paid $3,500 to two brothers, Abimbola “Bola” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, to assist him.
Since the 2019 incident, which seemed to be racist and homophobic at first sight, Smollett’s case has been engaged in multiple back-and-forths with police.
After the Osundairo brothers came out with charges that Smollett hired them to stage the attack, the Empire actor stuck to his narrative.
According to the ruling issued on Friday, the first allegations against him were withdrawn before a special prosecutor was authorized to examine his case.
He was indicted by a special grand jury in 2020 and has since sought to have the indictments dismissed, citing several factors such as “the alleged violation of double jeopardy principles, challenging the validity of the special prosecutor’s appointment, and asserting a violation of a ‘agreement’ with the CCSAO to dismiss his original case,” according to court documents reviewed by the media.
Smollett requested dismissal of the accusations, alleging a “invalid appointment of the special prosecutor,” and the ruling issued on Friday indicated that not only did the actor submit an appeal on a case that was under a separate jurisdiction, but he did so after the time had passed.
It was unclear if Smollett will appeal to the Supreme Court. His attorney did not immediately react to a request for more remarks from the media.
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