He has the right to appeal and said in court on Thursday he was innocent.
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 US President Donald Trump.
Police arrested the actor a month later, saying he paid two brothers $3,500 (about R52,000) to stage the attack in an effort to raise his show business profile. He e pleaded not guilty to six counts of felony disorderly conduct.
His case took an unexpected turn in 2019 when the Cook County state attorney’s office dropped a 16 count indictment against him in exchange for Smollett forfeiting his $10,000 (about R151,000) 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.
In 2019, a special prosecutor assigned to the case recommended charging Smollett again and a grand jury returned an indictment.
Reuters
Jussie Smollett slapped with prison term, probation for staging hate crime
Image: Brian Cassella/Pool via Reuters
A Chicago court on Thursday sentenced actor Jussie Smollett, star of the TV drama Empire, to 30 months probation and 150 days in jail for staging a hate crime against himself.
In December a jury found Smollett, 39, guilty of five of the six felony disorderly conduct counts he faced, one for each time he was accused of lying to police.
On Thursday, Cook County circuit court judge James Linn also ordered Smollett to pay more than $120,000 (about R1.8m) in restitution and fined him $25,000 (about R377,000).
“I know there is nothing I will do here today that can come close to the damage you’ve already done to your own life,” said Linn.
“You’ve destroyed your life as you knew it.”
Smollett’s acting career declined after the incidents. 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.
'Empire' star Jussie Smollett found guilty of staging fake hate crime
He has the right to appeal and said in court on Thursday he was innocent.
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 US President Donald Trump.
Police arrested the actor a month later, saying he paid two brothers $3,500 (about R52,000) to stage the attack in an effort to raise his show business profile. He e pleaded not guilty to six counts of felony disorderly conduct.
His case took an unexpected turn in 2019 when the Cook County state attorney’s office dropped a 16 count indictment against him in exchange for Smollett forfeiting his $10,000 (about R151,000) 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.
In 2019, a special prosecutor assigned to the case recommended charging Smollett again and a grand jury returned an indictment.
Reuters
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