Jussie Smollett has been sentenced to 150 days in jail and fined $25,000 for faking a racist, homophobic attack – yelling furiously to the judge as he was led out of court that he was not suicidal, and if he dies in jail it will be the court’s fault.
Smollett, 39, was initially calm as Judge James Linn delivered his damning verdict on Thursday, describing Smollett as ‘profoundly arrogant and selfish and narcissistic,’ and someone who had ruined his life and career.
Smollett, however, stood straight up as the verdict was read and made an obvious threat to the judge.
He shouted, “I’m not suicidal!” “If I do this, it would mean that I have been ignoring the concerns of black people for more than 400 years.”
“If something happens to me, then I didn’t do it myself. You must know this.
As he was led down to the cells, he repeated his cry, yelling: ‘I am not suicidal. I am innocent.’
CBS Chicago reported that the man will now be on suicide monitor.
Jocqui Smollett Jussie’s older brother said that he was disappointed with the verdict. Jazz Smollett described the case as a miscarriage.
Jussie, as seen in his new photo, raised his fist in disobedience when he was being taken from court to the Cook County Jail Thursday
After the sentence, Smollett’s family posted to Instagram their quote. The caption was: ‘OUR BROTHER IMPORTANT AND WE WILL KEEP FEELING’
Judge Linn had a wide range of punishment available, from three years in jail to 30 months of probation, community service, behavioral classes, restitution and fines.
Smollett is expected to serve only half of the 150-day sentence. He will then be free after 75 days. For the five counts felony four disorderly behavior for lying police officers, Smollett is on a 30-month probation.
Judge Jackson stated that he had considered appeals from Rev. Jesse Jackson was angry at Smollett for wasting valuable police time. Linn claimed that Smollett wanted attention and fame in order to cause significant damage to the civil right movement.
Judge Linn said that he didn’t believe money was the reason Smollett committed the crime. Smollett (an actor in Empire) was earning $2 million per annum.
“The only thing that I could find was that you wanted attention.
“You removed some of the scabs from healing wounds and ripped them off. It worked for some time.
“You had a national party of pity for yourself.”
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Jussie, raising his fist with a Black Power salute while he is taken out of court to start his sentence. I am innocent!’
Smollett stated to the judge that if anything happened to him when he went in, it was not my fault. And you all must know this.
Smollett is sentenced by Judge James Linn to 150 days imprisonment in Cook County Jail
Smollett is a defiant man who claims he didn’t stage the attack and raises his fist after he leaves court
Smollett claimed that he did not plan to stage the attack in 2019. He said, however, that doing so would mean that ‘I stuck my fist into the fears of black people over 400 years.
On Thursday, as he was taken to the cells by police officers on Thursday, 39-year old actor, he turned his head to shout over his shoulder
Smollett was sentenced to four hours. His family shared his quote via Instagram within hours.
Judge Linn’s verdict was harsh. He noted that Smollett, who was on the witness stand, had reprimanded someone, while quoting him using the N-word and still he obstructed the efforts of equality activists.
Linn stated, “The hypocrisy of the world is simply astounding.”
“I think that you caused damage to hate crime victims.”
These are those who find it difficult to come forward. Some may have trepidation.
“I don’t know whether they’ll be accused acting just like you.
“I’m not sure if the first responders will be more cautious.
“I wish it wasn’t the case.”
Smollett was told by he: “You’re just an idiot pretending that you’re a victim to a hate crime.”
Linn claimed that Linn had said Linn about the actor being ‘on board a rocketship’ and that he was headed for great things.
However, he claimed that Smollett had been his instrument to downfall.
Linn stated that Linn was unable to do anything about the damage you did to your self.
“You’re now a permanent convicted felon.”
Smollett was a shame to his family, friends and supporters, said he. Smollett claimed that he was the victim of homophobic, racist attacks. Viola Davis, Tyler Perry, and Kamala Harris all supported him.
Jazz Smollett was Jussie’s sister and said in court that her brother being sent to prison was an error of justice
Jocqui, Jussie’s brother, was furious at the sentence of her sibling
Jocqui Slolett claimed that his brother, Jocqui Smollett was wrongly convicted. He said he was the victim.
Molly Smollett, Molly (92), retorted outside court that the media failed to properly investigate Smollett’s story.
Judge: “You put them through the wringer. You embarrassed your family, friends, and workplace.
“Your name is now an adjectival for lying. I don’t know what could be more terrible than that.
You’re the best joker. Sketches of you are performed by comedians.
“This is all self inflicted.”
Smollett was freed pending appeal by his lawyers. However, the judge refused to budge and insisted that Smollett be sentenced.
Smollett had a similar experience earlier. His family begged him not to put him in jail, saying that the world has been through enough of the conflict in Ukraine and COVID-19, but it wasn’t his fault.
Smollett, who claimed he was attacked in January 2019 by Trump supporters was caught lying to police. In fact, Smollett had hired two black acquaintances to beat him up as a way to boost his celebrity status.
He showed up on Thursday with an entourage of relatives, just ten minutes before his sentencing hearing began.
Smollett’s attorneys appealed to the judge in the last minute to get his conviction overturned. They argued that Smollett didn’t receive a fair trial due to intense media coverage and police prejudice, as well as the claim that the judge had unfairly chosen jurors.
A frustrated Judge Linn dismissed their motion, stating that there was “nothing unconstitutional” about Smollett’s trial.
Joel, Joel’s oldest brother, spoke at his defense.
According to him, his brother’s case was Al Capone’s reincarnation. The black assistant prosecution told him to “Try understanding that my brother” and he did. Although this may seem like a stage four trial to you, it is actually the reincarnation Al Capone’s.
“My mother is 69 years of age. Born in Texas in 1952, she is now 69 years old. She has a lot of knowledge about racism. An African American gay man doesn’t have to give her a lecture.
The judge then asked him: “The crime that he is accused of was not considered a felony by most states. We are currently living in a time where we are enduring a vicious pandemic, a major conflict in eastern Europe as human beings we are worn down but Jussie Smollett is not at the source of the socio-economic problems on earth.’
Molly Smollett, 92-year old grandmother to Smollett, looked at the courtroom journalists as she was taking the stand. She rebuked them for not doing enough research.
Jussie Smollett tries to wipe a tear away from his eyes as he watches his brother plead for a judge to not jail him Thursday.
Molly, Smollett’s grandmother Molly (92 years old) spoke on the witness stand and begged the judge to not send him to prison. The media has betrayed the Jussie, whom I know and love. Investigative reporting is not your forte. You’ve got to do better, I challenge you to do more. She stated, “I was through the McCarthy period.”
Joel Smollett was Jussie’s elder brother. He laughed at the prosecutors and said that his family doesn’t need to be taught racism. In most cases, the crime for which he was accused isn’t considered a felony in any state. “We are living at the moment in an age where we are experiencing a deadly pandemic, major conflicts in eastern Europe, as humans we are exhausted, but Jussie is not attributable to the socio-economic issues on Earth,” he stated.
Samuel L. Jackson, actor and LaTanya Jackson wrote to the court asking for a sentence of probation. Alfre Woodard was also on the letter. “My dear friend has been convicted in a non-violent criminal offense. He has never been a danger to public safety and he certainly won’t be again. His professional and personal costs have already been paid. He should be incarcerated. I am concerned for his safety.”
JUSSIE SMOLLETT’S 92 Year-Old GRANDMOTHER SAYS MEDIA BETRAITED HIM’
“I want a microphone. It is important that I be heard. It’s good to be there OK. Thank you so much for this chance to say this.
“I’m Molly Smollett, I’m 92 years old. Jussie’s proud grandma is me.
“The Jussie that I love and know does not correspond to the media’s treachery. It is not clear that you have done an excellent job in investigative reporting.
«I am familiar with documentaries. I have been through McCarthy.
‘You’ve got to do better. I challenge you to do more.
‘The judge is asked not to sentence him, but I’m happy to accept that you send him. Please send me to go with him.
“The Jussie that I love and know does not correspond to the media’s treachery. It is not clear that you have done an excellent job in investigative reporting.
‘You’ve got to do better, I challenge you to do more.
She said, “I was through the McCarthy period.”
After that, she turned to the judge to ask him to send it to her in jail together with any other sentence.
Smollett had earlier rejected the attorney’s final-ditch attempt by Judge James Linn to throw out his conviction.
“We’ve been talking about it for almost two years.
He stated that he believed Mr. Smollett was given a fair trial, and that he had been found guilty by jury.
On January 29, 2019, Smollett claimed he was attacked by two white thugs wearing red hats who called him a ‘f****t’ and the N-word at around 2am as he walked home from collecting a sandwich from Subway.
Although he initially hesitated to speak to police about the incident, he continued to refuse to turn over his cellphone for many weeks. He then began to tell police that he was being targeted as a gay man of color.
On Good Morning America, he performed on music shows and proudly spoke of his ‘fighting back.
A jury found that all of the allegations were false and concluded that Mr. Smith had actually made them up. As a means of increasing his fame, he hired two of his black friends Abel Osundairo (a pair of brothers from Nigeria) to organize the attack.
Prosecutors stated that he didn’t intend to report the stunt to police. They also said that he wanted attention to Empire as a way to possibly get a raise.
Smollett maintained and maintains his innocence.
Richard Daniels from Empire was the music director, while Sharon Gelmen used to be the director of Empire’s charity. Jussie also worked as an assistant for it.
The court heard about their work ethic and commitment to the community, as well as his musical talents.
Daniels agreed to oversee Smollett’s probation. Gelmen described his sweet nature, how he was a ‘evangelical’ about charity work, and how he sat on the phone when the Flint water contamination story broke.
Jussie and his legal team wait in Chicago’s Leighton Criminal Courthouse on Thursday, as they await sentencing
Jussie Mollett was pictured at court Thursday for his sentencing on five counts of disorderly conduct in felony 4 and lying to the police. His sentence is three years imprisonment. He was sentenced 150 days in prison
Actor Jussie Mollett listens as his attorneys discuss at his sentencing hearing Thursday at Leighton Criminal Court Building
Tina Glandian was Tina Glandian’s attorney and asked that Smollett be sentenced before it was.
He’ blamed the prosecutors, the courtroom staff, the sheriffs, the entire cook county judicial system, he’s blamed COVID-19, he’s blamed the media, he’s blamed ‘political figures’, witnesses at trial and he has even blamed the jury itself
He claimed that the trial was a waste of time, that he was victim to prejudiced media and a biased jury and that the State of Illinois had promised him that he wouldn’t be charged.
Glandian also claimed that Judge James Linn was unfair in jury selection, which he angrily dismissed.
Prosecutors stated that Smollett attempted to blame another person for the verdict every time.
‘He blamed the prosecutors, the courtroom staff, the sheriffs, the entire cook county judicial system, he’s blamed COVID-19, he’s blamed the media, he’s blamed ‘political figures’, witnesses at trial and he has even blamed the jury itself,’ prosecutor Sean Wieber said.
‘It cannot be said with a straight face that we didn’t meet our burden to find him guilty.’
Jussie arrives at court along with his family for his sentencing. Jussie brings his 92 year-old grandmother with him to persuade the judge to not put him behind bars.
Glandian claimed that Smollett shouldn’t have been charged with another offense in February 2020. This was one year after his first set of charges were dropped. He also claimed that Smollett had received immunity from Illinois under the original deal, where he did 15 hours community service and lost $10,000.
The jury was not selected fairly by Judge James Linn, which she also claimed because Linn did not answer all the questions that they asked during the selection process.
She retaliated on Thursday by saying, “I selected the jury as I would in a case of murder.” “I treated him exactly the same as every other person.”
Judge Linn informed the court that Smollett’s lawyers wanted him to ask potential jurors “what kind of animal would they like to be?”. This was deemed a critical question.
‘I asked most of the questions the defense requested of me. I was asked what type of animal you wanted to become.
“Did I really believe you were going to ask such type of questions?” Judge Linn stated.
We have been talking about this for two years now… We have been talking about this for two years now…
At Friday’s sentencing hearing, the prosecutors reminded Smollett that the brothers were white and light-skinned.
“I believe we can all agree that it is established that they’re not white,” Sam Mendenhall, deputy special procuror, stated.
He added, “Facts matter and truth matters.”
Judge Linn also criticised Smollett’s team for not bringing enough family members and friends to the courtroom.
He explained that he had been told by COVID to allow only 57 people into the courtroom during the day, 12 of which were jurors.
Smollett and his team requested 47 seats.
His attorney claimed that it was unfair to him be charged with something the brothers have never done.
Judge Linn noted that the brothers were not guilty of any type of crime, as they followed only Smollett’s instructions. He lied to police.
Molly, a 92-year old grandmother of Smollett was present in court He asked for leniency. She spoke in his place.
Tina Glandian was Tina Glandian’s attorney and asked the judge to grant a fresh trial. The defense of double jeopardy is presented by Tina Glandian, who argues that media attention in the case prejudiced the jury. Also she argues that prosecutorial misconduct was present throughout.
Ola Osundairo is one of the Nigerian brothers that Smollett used to organize the attack. He’s currently in the overflow area awaiting sentencing
Dan Webb the Prosecutor arrives at Leighton Criminal Court House ahead of Jussie Smollett’s sentencing hearing on Thursday
“We must remember why we’re here. Mr. Smollett was charged with falsifying a police report. Every detail about the events between him and the brothers, the plan to beat him all – that’s not criminal.
He was planning it and not just consenting. The brothers were not found guilty.
The only crime was not reporting it to police. It was not the brothers’ fault. He stated, “I want to end that.”
Smollett’s legal team claims that the judge received 80 letters of support, asking him to give an alternate sentence.
The letters, they claim, show that Smollett is a gay and black Jewish man who has cause to be afraid for his safety while in prison.
Today marks the end of a long legal battle that lasted more than three decades.
The case against Smollett has sparked debate since its inception and angered many people working in politics, showbiz and civil rights.
Smollett arrives in court on Thursday with his family. Three years imprisonment await him
Smollett is seen holding hands with his sister (right) and another relative while he enters the Leighton Courthouse, Chicago, on Thursday
Smollett arrested February 2019. The charges were then dropped following a suspicious investigation conducted by Kim Foxx, Cook County State’s attorney and her office. Smollett had previously been in contact with Foxx in the beginning of the case.
He was brought back under investigation by a special prosecutor.
On Thursday, his legal team presented letters from black rights organisations to the judge asking for leniency.
One was written in part by the NAACP president, who claimed that Smollett had received an unjust amount of scrutiny.
It would not be an understatement for me to state that the case of Mr. Smollett has attracted a lot of attention.
Smollett was found guilty by jury for lying to officers. Smollett was found guilty of lying to police officers by the jury. Ola Osundairo and brother Abel Osundairo both testified that Smollett paid them for their attack on him. He also said that he wanted more attention at work.
Two brothers were captured on Chicago’s street surveillance camera on the night the attackers attacked on January 29, 2019.
TIMELINE OF JUSSIESMOLLETT SAGA, FROM FIRST CALL TO THE COPS TO HIS SENTENTING
January 29, 2019Smollett told police that he was attacked while walking from Subway at 2am. According to Smollett, his attackers were either white or of light skin color and placed a noose on his neck while yelling homophobic and racial slurs.
Smollett as seen on police bodycam shows police the noose around Smolletts neck which he said his attackers had placed
January 30, 2010Information is leaked to public, and Smollett gains a great deal of support. Chicago Police Department vows to quickly investigate and find the attackers
February 2,: Smollett opens a concert in West Hollywood, California, with an emotional speech, saying he had to play the show because he couldn’t let his attackers win.
February 13, 2009: Chicago PD Investigators discovered that the brothers were missing after reviewing Lyft records and surveillance footage. The brothers are collected at the airport when they return to Nigeria.
You are not charged for their release.
Chicago PD had already leaked stories that Smollett was being lied to by then.
February 14Jussie Stmollett tearsfully protests on Good Morning America that he is telling truth.
Robin Roberts presents him with surveillance footage of the attack night and he confirms that these men are his attackers
February 19, 2007Kim Foxx, Cook County’s State Attorney, recuses from the case due to her interaction with Smollett’s family
February 20,Smollett was charged with falsely reporting to the police
February 21, 2009Smollett gives himself up to the police, but he maintains his innocence
February 22, 2012Empire has removed Smollett from its cast
7 MarchSmollett is indicted by a grand jury on 16 counts for lying to police repeatedly
February 26Smollett’s charges are dramaticlly dropped This decision provokes outrage from the public
March 28, 2008Smollett is being sued by Chicago against $140,000 for wasting police resources
April 23, 2009Ola Osundairo and Abel Osundairo sue Smollett’s lawyers for calling them TV liars.
August 23, 2009Dan Webb, former U.S. Attorney, appointed special prosecutor for investigation of why Smollett charges were dropped
February 11, 2020A grand jury indicts Smollett on six counts for felony lying police
February 24, 2020Smollett pleads innocent
November 29th, 2021Smollett’s trial in Chicago finally starts after an 18-month hiatus due to COVID-19 court affecting.
Dec. 6 2021:Smollett is a witness at the trial and insists he tells the truth
December 9, 2009Smollett is convicted for five out six counts of lying in police investigations
March 10, 2022Smollett gets sentence
“This case does not involve drugs, theft, sex or property damage and causes no injury other than to the defendant.
This case has a non-violent, low-level offense, despite the media’s attention.
Derrick Johnson stated, “We ask the Court to remember this truth when sentencing Mr Smollet,”
Another letter was submitted by Black Lives Matter-Grassroots Director Melina Abdullah.
Kim Foxx (Cook County State’s Attorney) resigned after she revealed that she had spoken with Smollett’s family.
‘Black Lives Matter stands in strong support of an alternative-to-incarceration sentence for Jussie Smollett,’ their letter read.
The report details Smollett’s financial support for civil rights groups and his dedication to the community.
At trial, the brothers described how Smollett paid them for their attack and how he practiced it with them. They also explained how they got to know each other.
Smollett claimed that the defendants were lying all through.
The attorney of Smollett offered many reasons for his lies. Smollett claimed that he had been with Abel Osundairo in bathhouses where they “made out”.
Abel claimed that it never happened but that neither he or his brother were homophobic, as Smollett’s lawyers suggested.
The jury was shown photos of them at Pride handing out condoms to show that they were not prejudiced against gay men.
Smollett was not their target, and the brothers claimed they didn’t want to harm him. However, they said that they were trying to be truthful.
Smollett’s lies angered Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson (who was at that time in charge but is no longer) and ex-Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Jussie Smollett (left) is shown with Abel Osundairo (right), on January 19, 2019, ten day before Abel alleges that Smollett persuaded him to perform the attack. Jussie claimed that he had been with Abel for a while and they’made out in bathhouses’ and masturbated.
Jussie (left) is shown with Abel in July 2018, and then again in September 2018. Jussie stated that they shared a romantic relationship. However, he did not spend much time with Abel’s brother Olabinjo.