Jussie Smollett Found Guilty for Reporting Fake Racist Attack

U.S. actor Jussie Smollett has been found guilty on five out of six counts for filing a false police report regarding the hoax racist attack he suffered from two men in January 2019.

“Empire’s” actor claimed that two men attacked him, doused him with an unknown liquid, tied a noose to his neck and called him racist and homophobic slurs late at night on a Chicago street. He maintains he did not orchestrate it.

During the reading of the verdicts, he showed no reaction. Despite the severity of the charges, he is not likely to face nearly so harsh a sentence.

After the verdict, special prosecutor Dan Webb told reporters that the verdict “was a resounding message by the jury that Mr Smollett did exactly what we said he did.”

With several officers testifying during the trial, Webb referred to the guilty verdict as a “complete vindication” for the Chicago Police Department.

As a result of allegedly filing a false police report, Smollett was charged with six counts of felony disorderly conduct. A jury found him guilty of all five counts stemming from the statements he made to police officers immediately after the incident. He was found not guilty of a sixth count based on additional remarks he made to police two weeks after the incident.

Lawyers for Smollett said they would appeal the verdict. Smollett expressed disappointment but remained “100% confident” he would prevail on appeal.

 

Jussie Smollett was indicted on six disorderly conduct charges

Lawyer Nenye Uche told reporters that he remains confident that he will be cleared of all charges on appeal. “This is an inconsistent verdict. I do not believe that justice has been done today.”

In Uche’s view, he had never seen a case where a person got jail time but added that he should not go to jail since he is innocent.

On Tuesday, the defence rested its case after a week of testimony, with Smollett testifying in his own defence. He claimed that Abimbola and Ola Osundairo, the brothers who carried out the attack, lied in court when they claimed to have been friends of Smollett and compensated $3,500 for their actions.

In the aftermath of the attack, Smollett was greeted with widespread support and made an emotional appearance at a concert in early February 2019. But after authorities interviewed the Osundario brothers upon their return from overseas, they said the attack was a hoax.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the attack was staged because Smollett was unhappy with his salary on the Fox show. Smollett was charged on Feb. 20, 2019.

A special prosecutor announced in February 2020 that Smollett had been indicted on six disorderly conduct charges. The actor pleaded not guilty. Following three hours of deliberations on Wednesday, the permanently black jury resumed its work on Thursday morning.

Attorney Gloria Rodriguez, who represents the Osundario brothers, said the brothers were thrilled with the verdict and thanked the special prosecutor for handling the case.