Jussie Smollett To Be Sentenced For Hate Crime Hoax In March
Actor Jussie Smollett will be sentenced for his hate crime hoax on March 10.
According to Chicago Sun-Times, the update comes a month after Smollett was convicted on five of six counts of felony disorderly conduct, his defense attorney Tina Glandian confirms.
A post-trial motions hearing is set for Thursday (Jan. 27) at 11:30 a.m. E.T.
A disorderly conduct charge for a false crime report is a Class 4 felony and punishable by up to 3 years in prison and a $25,000 fine, CNN notes. Cook County Judge James Linn will decide if the actor will serve a concurrent or consecutive sentence for each of the five counts.
Back in 2019, the former Empire star alleged that he was attacked by two men who spewed racist and homophobic slurs at him one night in Chicago. He also claimed they poured bleach on him and wrapped a noose around his neck.
After an investigation by the Chicago Police Department, they determined that the actor orchestrated the incident and paid two brothers, Bola and Ola Osundario, that he knew from Empire to stage the incident to gain the public’s attention.
The brothers who were among the seven witnesses for the prosecution at the trial testified that Smollett did pay them and direct them to stage the attack.
