Published: December 9, 2021
By: FOX 32 Digital Staff
Jussie Smollett found guilty on 5 counts in hate crime hoax
Jussie Smollett was convicted Thursday on five counts of disorderly conduct charges in a trial over his claim in 2019 that he was the target of a racist and homophobic attack in Chicago.
CHICAGO - Former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was convicted Thursday on charges he staged a racist and homophobic attack on himself in January 2019 and then lied to Chicago police about it.
Smollett showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read.
Jussie Smollett's reaction to jury finding him guilty in hate crime hoax
FOX 32's Dane Placko and Kasey Chronis discuss Jussie Smollett's reaction to being found guilty on 5 of 6 counts in hate crime hoax.
The jury found the 39-year-old guilty on five counts of disorderly conduct — one count for each separate time he was charged with lying to police in the days immediately after the alleged attack. He was acquitted on a sixth count, of lying to a detective in mid-February, weeks after Smollett said he was attacked.
Judge James Linn set a post-trial hearing for Jan. 27, and said he would schedule Smollett's sentencing at a later date. Disorderly conduct is a class 4 felony that carries a prison sentence of up to three years, but experts have said if convicted, Smollett would likely be placed on probation and ordered to perform community service.
Jussie Smollett leaves Chicago courthouse after guilty verdict
Former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was convicted Thursday on charges he staged a racist and homophobic attack on himself in January 2019 and then lied to Chicago police about it.
The jury deliberated for just over nine hours Wednesday and Thursday after a roughly one-week trial in which two brothers testified that Smollett recruited them to fake the attack near his home in downtown Chicago three years ago.
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Jussie Smollett trial: Attorney for Osundairo brothers speaks following guilty verdict
Former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was convicted Thursday on charges he staged a racist and homophobic attack on himself in January 2019 and then lied to Chicago police about it.
Initial charges brought in February 2019 that accused the former "Empire" actor of faking the assault were soon after tossed. But in February 2020, after special prosecutor Dan Webb looked into the case, a new six-count indictment was filed.
"The Jury has spoken. While this case has garnered a lot of attention, we hope as a county we can move forward. At the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office we will continue to focus on the important work of this office, prioritizing and prosecuting violent crime," Kim Foxx's office said in a statement following the guilty verdict.
Jussie Smollett trial: Special prosecutor Dan Webb reacts to guilty verdict
Special prosecutor Dan Webb in the Jussie Smollett trial opened up about the guilty verdict.
Closing arguments took place Wednesday morning when special prosecutor Dan Webb said what Smollett did in January 2019 caused Chicago police to spend enormous amounts of time and resources investigating an alleged crime that turned out to be fake. Smollett, who is Black and gay, told police someone put a noose around his neck and yelled racist and homophobic slurs.
"Besides being against the law, it is just plain wrong to outright denigrate something as serious as a real hate crime and then make sure it involved words and symbols that have such historical significance in our country," Webb said.
Jussie Smollett trial: Why was the ex-'Empire' actor found guilty on 5 of 6 counts
FOX 32 breaks down what the guilty counts mean for Jussie Smollett.
He also accused Smollett of lying to jurors, saying surveillance video from before the alleged attack and that night contradicts key moments of Smollett’s testimony.
"At the end of the day, he lacks any credibility whatsoever," Webb said.
Defense attorney Nenye Uche called the brothers "sophisticated liars" who may have been motivated to attack Smollett because of homophobia or because they wanted to be hired to work as his security.
"These guys want to make money," he said.
Attorney for Jussie Smollett speaks after guilty verdict
Former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was convicted Thursday on charges he staged a racist and homophobic attack on himself in January 2019 and then lied to Chicago police about it.
Uche said in his closing argument that during testimony last week in the Chicago courtroom, one of the brothers "said ‘I don’t recall’ so many times, it is ridiculous."
"The entire prosecution’s case, including the foundation of the case, is built like a house of cards," Uche said.
Jussie Smollett trial: Former 'Empire' actor takes the stand in Chicago
Attorneys began questioning Jussie Smollett on Monday in his trial in Chicago, where he began by answering questions about his background and his career.
On Monday, Smollett testified that he was returning home from buying a sandwich around 2 a.m. when someone yelled a racist, homophobic remark that referenced the TV show "Empire." The person also shouted something about "MAGA country," an apparent reference to then-President Donald Trump’s slogan "Make America Great Again." The slogan also had been scrawled on some hate mail – that included a drawing of a stick figure hanging by a noose – that Smollett had received at the "Empire" set, he testified.
Smollett said when he turned to confront the person, a man hit him in the head and he fell to the ground, where he said another man kicked him before the attackers ran away. Smollett said he noticed a rope, like a noose, around his neck after the attack. When he returned home, a friend called Chicago police, something Smollett said he wouldn’t have done because as a Black man he doesn’t trust police.
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