Jussie Smollett sentenced to 150 days in county jail, ordered to pay US$120K restitution for lying to police
Actor Jussie Smollett, one-time star of the TV drama Empire, was sentenced in a Chicago court to 30 months probation and 150 days in jail on Thursday for staging a hate crime against himself in what prosecutors said was a bid to gain sympathy and boost his career.
Smollett, 39, was also ordered to pay US$120,000 (approx. $163,000) in restitution and fined US$25,000 (approx. $34,000) by Cook County Circuit Court Judge James Linn.
Smollett was found guilty by a jury in December of five of the six felony disorderly conduct counts he faced, one for each time he was accused of lying to police.
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Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 30 months probation for staging a hate crime against himself. AP
Prosecutors said Smollett, who is Black and gay, lied to police when he told them he was accosted on a dark Chicago street by two masked strangers in January 2019.
Smollett claimed the attackers threw a noose around his neck and poured chemicals on him while yelling racist and homophobic slurs and expressions of support for former U.S. President Donald Trump.
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Police arrested the actor a month later, saying he paid two brothers US$3,500 (approx. $4,750) to stage the attack in an effort to raise his show-business profile. He eventually pleaded not guilty to six counts of felony disorderly conduct.
Former Empire actor Jussie Smollett in a Chicago court for his sentencing for lying to police in hate crime hoax. Chicago Tribune/POOL
His case took an unexpected turn in spring 2019 when the Cook County state's attorney's office dropped a 16-count indictment against him in exchange for Smollett forfeiting his US$10,000 (approx. $13,500) bond without admitting wrongdoing.
The dismissal drew criticism from then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago's police superintendent, who called the reversal a miscarriage of justice.
Actor Jussie Smollett wipes away tears after his grandmother testified in court. AP
In 2019, a special prosecutor assigned to the case recommended charging Smollett again and a grand jury returned an indictment.
Smollett's acting career declined after the incident. He lost his role as a singer-songwriter in the final season of Empire, a Fox television hip-hop drama that ended a five-year run in 2020.
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