6:49 p.m. PT Jussie will be given a full medical and mental health assessment by Health Services, as well as a security assessment and placed in appropriate housing, according to a spokesperson for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. He’ll also be checked for COVID at intake, and if he hasn’t been vaccinated or received a booster, he’ll be offered vaccine.
6:37 p.m. PT Jussie’s mugshot has just arrived, and he’s stone-faced. As the judge stated throughout the hearing, he will immediately begin his sentence.
Jussie Smollett was recently sentenced to 150 days in prison for his elaborate hoax on Chicago’s streets… and Jussie went off on the court, telling him that if he dies in prison, it would not be through suicide. It became so heated that Jussie was arrested and left with his fist raised in the air.
Judge Linn recently imposed the punishment, which includes 30 months of felony probation, $120,106 in restitution to the city of Chicago, and a $25,000 fine.
Jussie’s evidence during the trial, when he talked about his life… and how important social justice was to him and his family, was cited by Judge Linn. The judge also pointed out the irony and hypocrisy of Jussie orchestrating a hate crime fabrication.
According to Judge Linn, Jussie didn’t do it for the money; he did it because he desired publicity and thought he could raise his reputation by leveraging America’s social justice movement. He claimed he only wanted to become more renowned by having a “national pity party.”
Jussie was described by the judge as arrogant, egotistical, and narcissistic, and he caused harm to real hate crime victims. Victims are always hesitant to come forward, and Jussie didn’t make things any easier for them. According to the judge, Jussie lied about the incident over and over again.
The judge made it clear that he wasn’t sentencing Jussie to appease the people… it was all about what Jussie did. The judge claimed that nothing he could do would be worse than what Jussie did to himself, claiming that Jussie’s antics had devastated his life.
Before his punishment, Jussie declined to speak in open court because his counsel told him not to.
Jussie’s 92-year-old grandmother took the stand to appeal for mercy, and she slammed the media for not fully reporting the event. She referred to him as a “justice warrior” who has long been involved in social activism. She urged the judge that if he sent Jussie to prison, he should also send her.
The City of Chicago’s lawyer stated emphatically that “this was not a victimless crime,” claiming that “more than 30 Chicago officers investigated the case and had to study more than 1500 hours of security video.” To get to the bottom of the matter, they went door to door in the bitter cold. They racked up over 1,000 hours of overtime, causing exhaustion and worry. Jussie has also made real hate crime victims unwilling to come forward, according to the lawyer.
During the hearing, Jussie’s lawyer offered a series of arguments, pleading with the judge to overturn the conviction. Jussie did not enjoy the constitutional protection of being deemed innocent, according to his counsel, because of the pre-trial publicity by City officials, especially the Police Commissioner. That argument was dismissed by the judge.
Jussie’s counsel argued that he was entitled to a public trial, which the judge dismissed. Even during a pandemic, the special prosecutor retorted, the trial was open to reporters, and the defense didn’t want cameras in the courtroom during the trial, so it’s remarkable they’re making this point now.
The “Empire” actor was found guilty of five of the six felony counts leveled against him for lying to Chicago police about being the victim of a racial and homophobic attack.
You may recall that Jussie Smollett claimed two white males jumped him, assaulted him, placed a noose around his neck, and shouted obscenities at him on Jan. 29, 2019, all while screaming, “This is MAGA country!!!” The two individuals were, as you may know, the Osundairo brothers, and as the special prosecutor pointed out, one thing was clear: they are not white.
Jussie called the cops to report the alleged incident, welcoming them at his home with a rope still loosely wrapped around his neck. Shortly later, however, concerns about Jussie’s story began to arise, and police eventually said the actor had made it all up.
Jussie was originally charged with 16 counts, but they were dropped, and his only punishment was the forfeiture of his $10,000 bond. That did not sit well with the public, particularly the Chicago Police Department, and a special prosecutor was appointed, who charged Jussie with the 6 counts for which he was on trial.
Jussie Smollett has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, claiming that he did not engage the Osundairo brothers, Abel and Ola, to orchestrate the “attack” on a cold Chicago night.
The brothers, on the other hand, stated that Jussie told them where to meet for the “attack” and even paid them to acquire supplies.
Jussie has also been sued by the city of Chicago in a separate civil case for $130,000 in resources spent investigating his claims.
