ACTOR Jussie Smollett has been sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation for staging a hate crime in opposition to himself.
The actor confronted a most sentence of three years in state jail.
The ruling was handed down to the erstwhile Empire star, 39, by Judge James B. Linn at Chicago’s George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Thursday.
The decide didn’t maintain again when sentencing the actor, whom he referred to as “profoundly arrogant,“ “selfish,“ and a “narcissistic,“ at the end of a wild hearing that took almost six hours.
Smollett will serve a total five months in the Cook County Jail, not prison, which is typical for shorter sentences. He was also sentenced to 30 months’ felony probation, ordered to pay US$120,106 (RM502,936) of restitution to the city of Chicago and pay a US$25,000 (RM104,686) fine.
In December, the entertainer was convicted for repeatedly reporting to police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime.
Prosecutors say Smollett staged the January 2019 incident to garner sympathy and help his acting career.
“You wanted to make yourself more famous, and for a while it worked,“ the judge continued, calling out Smollett for throwing a “national pity party for yourself.”
Smollett was not anticipated to serve time behind bars. Legal specialists pointed to the truth that he doesn’t have any prior felony convictions, and his conviction right here is for a low-level, nonviolent crime. Also, nobody was injured by his crime.
However, the decide pointed to “ample factors” that made jail time affordable, together with Smollett’s “premeditation” for the crime, the ache he precipitated “real victims of hate crimes,“ the damage to the city of Chicago and Smollett’s “performance on the witness stand” in December as he mentioned the actor dedicated “perjury.”
Smollett, who’s Black and homosexual, claimed he was the sufferer of a hate crime when two males carrying ski masks poured bleach on him, put a noose round his neck and yelled racist and homophobic slurs on a freezing Chicago evening.
He claimed he had been strolling dwelling, on Jan 29, 2019 at about 2am, after getting meals at a Subway.
The police investigation led to two brothers, Abimbola (”Bola”) and Olabinjo (”Ola”) Osundairo, who have been acquaintances of the actor. They testified on the December trial that Smollett paid them US$3,500 (RM14,656) partially to stage the assault.
Separately, the town of Chicago filed a lawsuit in opposition to Smollett in 2019 after he refused to pay again the US$130,106.15 (RM544,841) for the police investigation. Smollett filed a countersuit.
The metropolis of Chicago vowed to pursue the lawsuit after Smollett’s conviction.
Smollett’s protection attorneys have said they intend to battle the decision in appellate courtroom.
