Here’s what he is going to do now…
Nearly three years after Jussie Smollett claimed he was beaten by two Trump supporters, the now-disgraced actor was found guilty of staging a hate crime.
In the incident, police later learned he fabricated, the actor was attacked, had bleach poured on him, and had a noose tied around his neck.
The ill-conceived plan – which included a 2 am trip to Subway – was orchestrated to raise his public profile. His claims sent Chicago police on a wild goose chase that ultimately proved the men who beat up Smollett were known to the actor and had allegedly been hired by him to commit the crime.
Yesterday (December 9th), twelve jurors in the Chicago court found the actor guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. The verdict follows testimony from thirteen witnesses and more than nine hours of deliberation.
As the jury read the verdict, Smollett kept a stoic gaze on the panelists while many of his family members sat frozen in the front row of the gallery.
Unfortunately for Smollett and his legal team, the eight-day trial did not produce the outcome they had anticipated, given that the actor would now face up to three years in jail.
The news came as a shock to his legal team and his family – some of whom did not stand for the jury as they left the courtroom.
Speaking to the media, Smollett’s lead defense attorney Nenye Uche said the actor had plans to appeal his conviction. She stated the actor was “100 percent confident” that he would be cleared by the appellate court.
She also mentioned that appealing was not the route they had planned but would pursue it because they were “100 percent confident in our client’s innocence.”
