Jussie Smollett, the former actor well known for his role on Empire was sentenced to prison for a short term. His family, who testified in court that Jussie was innocent, begged the judge not to send him to jail.
“Jussie is not a threat to the people of Illinois. In my humble opinion, he is completely innocent.”
Joel Smollett
Jussie Smollett staged his alleged hate crime
Previously, Jussie Smollett reported that he was attacked by two men in ski masks in a dark street in Chicago. The men allegedly threw petrol over him and shouted racial slurs at him.
In the trial, it was found that Jussie Smollett had staged the whole hate crime against him. To this day, Jussie did not plead guilty to the six charges made against him.
Two brothers testified in court that Jussie Smollett had paid them for the masks, the petrol, and the rope – in which they were instructed to tie into a noose. The Two Nigerian brothers were allegedly paid $3 500 to do the job. Jussie had also met them on the set of Empire.
Smollett maintained his innocence after his conviction
After his sentencing, Jussie Smollett made an attempt to persuade the judge otherwise. He relayed that he respects the judge’s decision to sentence him to prison. He also added that if anything happened to him, it was done by someone else.
Thus far, many have come forward to plead the judge change his decision on his sentencing. According to The Guardian, one of them include Samuel L Jackson who feared that this will impact his career negatively.
Officer Brown who had become Superintendent in April 2020 said that Jussie Smollett made a mockery out of victims who actually experienced the things he accused two men of doing.
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Apart from the 150 days in prison, Jussie has also been sentenced to 30 months probation. The 39-year-old is also required to pay $120 000 in restitution as well as a fine of $25 000.
Before leaving the courtroom, Jussie made a good effort to tell the court that he is not suicidal. He further expressed that if anything happened to him, he didn’t do it himself. The actor also lost his role on the last season of Empire as a result.
