After two days of deliberations, a jury found the former Empire” actor Jussie Smollett guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for making false reports to police that he was the victim of a hate crime in January 2019; his defense team vowed to appeal the verdict.
Smollett told police after the purported attack near downtown Chicago that he was subject to racist and homophobic slurs by two unknown men, who also poured bleach on him and wrapped a noose around his neck. Authorities investigated the claims and determined the actor orchestrated the scheme, and a grand jury indicted Smollett in February of 2020.
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. Cook County Judge James Linn will have discretion in imposing a concurrent or consecutive sentence for each of the five counts at a later date.
