On Thursday, a jury in Chicago found US actor Jussie Smollett guilty of five felony counts of disorderly conduct for falsely reporting to police in 2019 that he was the victim of a racial and homophobic hate crime, which prosecutors claimed he orchestrated.
Smollett, who was one of the stars of the hit TV show “Empire” at the time, told police in January 2019 that he was attacked by two masked individuals while strolling near his Chicago home in the middle of the night.
However, based on the investigation of closed-circuit television footage and the cell phone data of Smollett and his two alleged attackers, investigators eventually decided that he planned the whole incident.
In a statement to reporters, Cook County Circuit Court spokesperson Mary Wisniewski said, “The jury in the case of Jussie Smollett has found Mr Smollett guilty of five of six charges of disorderly conduct.”
Actor Jussie Smollett leaves court after charges against him were dropped by state prosecutors in Chicago.
The actor could be sentenced to up to three years in prison, but he could also receive probation and community service. No date for sentencing has been scheduled.
According to US media, Smollett’s lawyer, Nenye Uche, claimed the actor would fight the conviction.
