Jussie Smollett Convicted of Falsifying Hate Crime

Jussie Smollett has been found guilty of faking a hate crime against himself.

In late January 2019, Smollett claimed that he was assaulted outside of his apartment by two men, who also used racial and homophobic slurs during the altercation. He assumed the attack was in response to his criticism of former President Donald Trump’s administration.

A month later, he was charged by a grand jury with falsifying his claims, as he kept changing details of the incident every time he lodged a report.

On Thursday, 9 December, a jury convicted the 39-year-old actor – formerly known for starring in the drama series “Empire” – of disorderly conduct under a subsection of the state law that makes filing false police reports a crime.

The six men and six women of Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, Illinois found Smollett guilty on five of six charges – each a class four felony, which are considered low-level crimes, but still hold the potential of incarceration for up to three years.

A date for sentencing has not been set, but Judge James Linn has scheduled a hearing for 27 January 2022. Smollett mentioned that he believes his appeal will overturn the charges.

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