CHICAGO, Ill. – Actor Jussie Smollett has been found guilty on five of six charges for making false reports to Chicago police about a hate crime.
The conviction on five counts of felony disorderly conduct stem from a January 2019 incident in which the former “Empire” actor claimed he was attacked.
Smollett testified in his own defense, telling the court that he never lied to police and did not orchestrate the attack on himself.
Prosecutors were able to convince the jury that Smollett staged the publicity stunt to garner more sympathetic media coverage for himself.
Each disorderly conduct conviction for a false crime report is punishable by up to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
It’s up to the Cook County judge in the case to decide how much time, if any, Smollett spends in jail, a decision which will be made at a later date.
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