Jussie Smollett ordered back to prison for 150 days after losing appeal

Miu von Furstenberg 2 Min Read
Jussie Smollett
Photo via jussiesmollett/Instagram

Today (Dec. 01, 2023), a court of appeals upheld Jussie Smollett‘s conviction for disorderly conduct. In 2019, Smollett was alleged to have orchestrated a hateful and homophobic assault on himself and then misled the Chicago police about it.

In the Illinois Appellate Court, Jussie Smollett–who was featured in the TV show Empire–was unsuccessful in his attempt to challenge the ruling of a special prosecutor, jury selection, evidence, and other facets of the case. The court ruled 2-1 against him.

The authorities had gone in search of the perpetrators of the hate crime that Jussie Smollett had reported to the police; however, the investigation then shifted to focus on the Empire actor, leading to his arrest for allegedly staging the attack himself.

It was reported that he compensated two colleagues he was familiar with from his job at “Empire.”

Earlier this year, a jury found Jussie Smollett guilty of five misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct in Illinois. This offence is applicable when someone fabricates facts to the police.

Completing a time period of 150 days in prison is now a part of his sentence. Jussie Smollett was in jail for merely six days while his appeal was still being processed.

Attorneys representing Smollett, an African American and homosexual individual, have asserted that he was unfairly targeted by a prejudiced judicial system and people acting with political motivation.

Freddrenna Lyle, an Appellate Judge, claimed that she would have dismissed Smollett's convictions. She noted that it was “unjust” to appoint a special prosecutor and prosecute Smollett after he had already carried out community service as part of an agreement with Cook County prosecutors to void the original charges back in 2019.

Lyle mentioned that it was understandable for Smollett to seek a full closure of the incident instead of just a short-term one.


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Last update on 2024-10-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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