'Empire' star Jussie Smollett sentenced to 5 months in jail for staging hate crime

Picture Courtesy: Official Instagram Account, Jussie Smollett

Actor Jussie Smollett, widely known for his role in 'Empire', was sentenced to five months in jail on Thursday for staging a hate crime in which he lied to authorities about being jumped by two men who yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him.

As per Variety, the actor has also been asked to pay USD 120,000 restitution to the city of Chicago and also a USD 25,000 fine. Additionally, Smollett will have to serve 30 months of probation.

After the jail term was announced, the actor stood up and maintained his innocence before telling the court, "I am not suicidal, and if anything happens to me when I go [to jail], I didn't do it to myself and you must all remember that." During the sentencing, the actor's lawyer also argued for a new trial for Smollett. The judge denied the request.

Smollett was originally indicted in March 2019 with 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false report, claiming that, while on his way home from a Subway sandwich shop, two men attacked him late at night. Those charges were dropped later that same month.

The case against him was later revived by a special prosecutor, Dan Webb, and in early 2020, Smollett was once again charged with disorderly conduct. The indictment against the actor alleged he "knew at the time ... there was no reasonable ground for believing that such an offense had been committed" when he told police he'd been assaulted by "two unknown offenders."

During the faux attack, Smollett claimed the black-clad, masked men yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him. He further added that the men had put a rope around his neck and doused him with bleach. Authorities said the incident was staged for publicity purposes.

Smollett, prosecutors said, paid USD 3,500 to two brothers, Abimbola "Bola" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo, to help him pull off the staged assault. Following his arrest, the actor's run on 'Empire' ended, with Fox CEO Charlie Collier saying Smollett would not return for the show's sixth and final season.

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