Convicted of having staged a racist and homophobic attack targeting him in 2019, the actor has just been sentenced by the courts to a prison term by the Chicago court.
He appealed against the court decision, to no avail. This Thursday, March 10, actor Jussie Smollett was sentenced by the Chicago court to a five-month prison term for having staged an assault of which he claimed to have been the victim in January 2019, according to the site variety.
Smollett said he suffered a racist and homophobic attack from two men in the middle of the street, who allegedly put a noose around his neck and poured a chemical substance on him before shouting “This is MAGA country” (according to the slogan of President Trump’s supporters “Make America Great Again“: to make America great again). Statements that turned out to be false.
Sentenced in December 2021 to five of the six counts against him, the actor receives, in addition to his prison sentence, a fine of 12,000 dollars and will have to pay 120,000 dollars more in restitution to the city. of Chicago for the legal and investigative costs that he wrongfully incurred.
“You have turned your life upside down with your misbehavior and shenanigans. You destroyed your life and you knew it” Judge James Linn said during the verdict, calling the actor “charlatan“.“You wanted attention, and because you were very involved in social justice issues, you knew that was a sore point for everyone in this country… You felt sorry for yourself.“
Proclaiming his innocence, Smollett repeatedly stressed during the trial that he was not suicidal, suggesting that if he was found dead in prison it would not be his fault.
“If I did what I am accused of, it means that I have undermined the fears of black Americans for 400 years in this country, but also the fears of the LGBT community“, he exclaimed. “If anything happened to me once there, I wouldn’t have done that to myself, and you should all be aware of that.“
Several supporters have expressed their fears for the actor in the event that he is sentenced to a prison term, given the media coverage of his trial. Smollett’s attorneys unsuccessfully read testimonies from various public figures, including the president of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), actor Samuel L. Jackson and his wife LaTanya, and actress Alfre Woodard. “Yes [Jussie] is incarcerated, I fear for his safety.“