Former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett has been sentenced to 150 days in jail – roughly 5 months – and 30 months of probation for his December 2021 conviction after he lied to police about being attacked by white MAGA-Loving Trump supporters, who allegedly targeted him for being Black and gay.
On Thursday, March 10, Cook County Judge James Linn sentenced him to a little under five months of incarceration and two and half years of probation.
This hearing was different than the closed trial, as Linn allowed press, photographers, and a television camera inside the court. This was the first time the public could hear or see Jussie Smollett’s response to his legal woes in front of the judge.
As reported by AllHipHop.com, a Chicago judge ruled after a trial that the actor orchestrated the attack. Smollett continues to deny that he made up the January 2019 attack, a debacle that cost him his job on the hit Fox music-industry-driven soap opera.
Still, the guilty conviction had him facing up to three years in prison for five felony counts of disorderly conduct, including the charge for lying to the officers.
The Associated Press wrote that there were several factors that played into Linn’s sentencing decision.
Chief among them is Smollett’s criminal history. The 39-year-old has never been in substantial trouble with the law and his conviction of lying, though embarrassing, costly, and elaborate, is considered a low-level nonviolent crime.
Experts had predicted that he would be placed on probation and ordered to complete a number of community service hours.
Currently, there is another lawsuit filed by the City of Chicago for $130,000 pending trial. If he loses, the actor would have to repay the cost of police overtime used to bring justice to him since they believed he was a victim of a hate crime.
The sentence of x is unfortunate, but is not the greatest penalty for Smollett. His career, which once had him as one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, has been severely damaged.
