Actor Jussie Smollett was convicted by a Cook County jury Thursday of staging and reporting a hate crime on himself, marking a dramatic end to a case that captivated the nation ever since he reported being attacked on a frigid night in Chicago nearly three years ago.
After a weeklong trial with testimony from 13 witnesses and lengthy closing arguments, the jury deliberated for about 9 hours over two days before finding Smollett, 39, guilty of disorderly conduct for lying to police about the January 2019 incident. Smollett faces up to three years in prison, though with no prior criminal record its far more likely he would receive a lighter sentence including possible probation.
Smollett remained stoic as the verdict was announced. He was found guilty on five of six counts.
The allegedly phony racial and homophobic attack on the then-“Empire” actor led to one of the most momentous minor felony cases in Cook County history.
Under an international media spotlight, the case spiraled into a tangle of rumors and culture-war flashpoints, competing lawsuits, a special prosecutor’s investigation, and a political crisis for Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
But jurors were tasked with determining only one thing: Whether Smollett, in fact, staged the attack on himself, then lied to police about it.
The jury heard closing arguments Wednesday.
The jury first heard from special prosecutor Dan Webb, who said Smollett not only committed a crime by falsely reporting a hate crime, what he did was “just plain wrong” to denigrate something as serious as a hate crime.
Webb said it was particularly egregious for Smollett to make sure his plan “had words and symbols” emblematic of this country’s racist past — including a noose and the use of the N-word.
When Smollett’s attorney Nenye Uche addressed the panel, he said the prosecution’s case was riddled with “doubts” and built on the testimony of two brothers who are criminals and “certified liars.”
Uche also questioned why Smollett would instruct his attackers to wear pro-Trump hats and yell slogans like, “This is MAGA country!”
“He’s dumb enough to go into Obama’s city and pretend there’s Trump supporters running around with MAGA hats?” he said. “Give me a break.”
Here’s the top Democrats who supported Smollett and his racist hate crime.
Here's the 'Jussie Smollett is a victim' tweets from all your favorite Democratic members of Congress…
Just gonna… put these here. pic.twitter.com/qubpzSguiF
— Tim Young (@TimRunsHisMouth) February 18, 2019
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Seems to me that Jussie Smollett and every Democrat that suppurted his ruse are the ones guilty of a Hate Crime. In fact Several. His and their damages go far beyond the cost of the police investrigations and trial, but in the violence, hatred and division they created whose cost will never be known. The media as usual were the only ones to profit from it. The race baiters thought they would but Justice prevailed in the end. God Bless America, ours not theirs. The uniters and creators, not the divisve people of consumption and redistribution of other’s earned human life force. If evil prevails only when good men and women say or do nothing, Somebody out there finally did something good, 12 I believe was the number in a well spoken verdict. Let the sentencing not temper Justice with mercy, but mercy with a heavier hand of Justice as a warning to others who seek to gain by deceiving THE PEOPLE.
Obama started it all!
That’s what race-baiters (aka “Community Organizers”) DO.
Response to tfob
Barack . Obama once said about himself, ” I Serve as a Blank Slate upon which people write what they wish to see, to parraphrase Barack H. Obama, In Him, I see in Barack H. Obama, another ” Community Organizer, and another, Jussie Sollett,, A Race Baiter- and Race Hustler on that order.
Actually you are basically right. Obama is the one who destroyed everything MLK died for. He and that ugly hateful wife if his, were the most racist people who have ever defiled our White House.
Have the riots and protests started yet?
GOOD. Now let’s see what the judge hands down for a sentence! I AM HOPING a good long time in prison.
Joh Adams said it so well back in his time that what he said Applies to today’s events when he said, ” Facts are Stubborn Things and Whatever May be our Wishes, our Inclinations, or The Dictates of pur Passions, They Cannot Alter the State of Facts and Evidence. ” Jussie Smollett was found ” Guilty, It was A Staged Racist, Hate Farce, Staged and Paided foe, By Jussie Smollett..!
Rau Emanual once Said, ” You never want a crisis Go to Waste. ” and if this is true, The Socialist -Commun ist party should really be ” Happy with Joe Boden, for there’s Been one ” Crisis After Another Since Joe Biden took the office of President.
EVERYTHING about his administration, is a bloody crisis.
When there aren’t enough “hate crimes” to push an agenda, the Left must fake them.
C omment by sotheseedsofliberty2 .
Jussie Smollett and the Cast of his “White-Race, Hate Crime, ” practiced their part that they played before putting on the actual farce on Chicago’s Streets. The two brothers who were pictured buying the rope placed around Jussie Smollett’s neck Were paided by Jussie Smollett as most likely were the others who took part in the farce” Guilty, ” said the Jury at Jussie Smollett’s trial.
IF you’ve looked at the # of ‘hate crimes’, that have been PROVEN TO be hoaxes these days, it CERTAINLY MAKES You think all hate crimes must be hoaxes..
Response to ITuser, Booker T. Washington once Said, ” Theres a Certain Class of Colored People who made a pretty good living out of keeping the Wrongs and Injustices , to paraphrase Booker T. Washington, In front of the Public…. “. The Race Baiters like Jussie Sollett, Al Sharptons, The Jessi Jacksons don’t want to see Race relations heal as they benefit by keeping the Races Hating each other.
So, Jussie has been found guilty. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the judge declares a mistrial and he walks free…. it’s what happened in the John Edwards Corruption Scandal..
Smollett and his Liberal Media Allies are the ones guily of Hate Crimes.
PTY the media couldn’t be found guilty as ACCESSORIES to this hoax… AND SHARE In his jail time.
This idiot, and the Democrats declaring a “modern day lynching”, could have started a race war! And all he might get is fn probation and community service?
Jussie Smollett, what a lying racist you are. I bet you look in the mirror and say to yourself, ‘mommy, where are you, can you come in here and wipe my boom boom? ‘ What an entitled elitist, who cannot stand on his own two feet. These Hollywood low life’s, make me sick.
America needs and should get an apology from everyone of those demented dems who gave “character witness” statements about this criminal who would start a race riot. Yes. the attorney did say he was dumb enough to go into Chicago of all places and claim his fake attackers would shout out MAGA Country. He IS INDEED THAT DUMB.
Should yes.. WILL, i highly doubt it.
HO, Where Is COOK COUNTY Attorney Kim Fox, when she’s needed to declare ‘ Not GUILTY,”like she did at Solletts phony trial.
Smollett’s lawyer’s hilarious defence was: “You can’t believe anyone would be dumb enough to do this” and “ignore the evidence in front of your eyes”. One could almost feel sorry for her having to defend someone so stupid he indeed DID cook this up and left a trail of evidence a mile wide. Luckily the police and the jury of 12 hadn’t taken leave of their senses like the race baiter’s celebrity supporters all the way up to the present VP and P-Resident. Deduct 20 IQ points from anyone who believed this idiotic tale.
I see I got a one star rating from someone who DID believe the ridiculous tale LOL and didn’t like being told it’s a sign of a low IQ. Is that you, Jussie?
It should be noted, that this verdict ALSO (implicitly) finds the (so-called) “mainstream” media GUILTY of pushing a FALSE story (again)!
How many of these “mainstream” media outlets (and talking heads) pushed this (now PROVEN FALSE) story as FACT?
THAT is the very definition of “Fake News”!
PITY they can’t be given jail time, FOR SAID false stories!
I hope he’s ordered to pay Chicago for all the police and court time wasted on this fake case.
What about perjury? The guy lied his buttocks off under oath.
What about incitement? If President Trump is suspect this jerk is guilty!
Nine months from now, it will be interesting to see how many babies are named Jussie….
I wouldn’t name the child of my MOST HATED ENEMY< jussie..
Probably few as these are the ones who like to flatback and then abort the results.
smollet means about as much to me as the frocky I scrape off my shoes after walking in the dog park. Just one more racist with a big mouth who got caught lying about the decent people in this country. Wheres’ harry harris, brandon, roberts, rivera and all the rest who claimed it was a racist crime. Funny how their mouths freeze up when they are caught being racist.
Jussie Smollett should receive the maximum sentence for the felonies that he plotted and did commit to push a phony & anti-American Leftist & Democrat agenda!
Their absurd Woke & Cancel Culture is a depraved and false Marxist Plot launched and supported by the Fascist Democrat Socialist Party & our Current Biden Administration + their Corrupt Deep State subversive operatives — This anti-American and corrupt “Cancel Culture” must be repressed and eliminated before all of the moral values and the Constitution are destroyed.
The phony Marxist BLM and irrational CRT Curriculum and the Inane promotion of phony “Gender Identity” along with the inane efforts to suppress the essential & fine Police Departments as well as the sinister efforts by Democrats to destroy the “Rule of Law” is appalling and no government or private industry organization as well as patriotic & moral individuals should stand for it!
The only Systemic Racism in America since the Civil War has been from within the Democrat Party!
The Only Existential Threat to America is certainly NOT Climate Change (which is Natural, not due to CO2), IT IS THE FASCIST DEMOCRAT SOCIALIST PARTY and their attempts to impose One-Party Tyranny on the USA and its citizens!
Behind all the Democrat Socialist hypocrisy, is the simple fact: the Democrat Party has always and continues to be the Party advocating Jim-Crow Laws, Racism, Slavery and Suppression of Blacks and honest elections!
WITH a hate crime addendum to his sentence…
This was one of the dumbest hoaxes ever, yet Dem politicians and celebrities and Demedia ran with it, pushing the “blacks are in danger from white supremacists” LIE that was meant to defame whites and Trump voters. A Soros bought-and-paid-for black DA who was also leaned on by Michelle Obama dropped the case. Two grievous wrongs. Sadly, a judge in Chicago is unlikely to be as honest and gutsy as the police who investigated and the jury that decided guilty on the scads of EVIDENCE, so Smollett will barely get a rap on the wrist. He will continue to be hailed by Black LIES Matter as a “hero” while his high profile supporters don’t even acknowledge the egg on their face.
Michelle and BHO will be waking up Crazy Uncle Joe to get a pardon out for their friend Smollet. Let’s hope Joe screws that up too.
I think it has sunk any career as an actor, writer or director. Nothing but a total fail on all counts.
I saw somewhere, maybe on the ‘Bee’ that he would likely be sharing a cell with his attacker. I like it, serves him right.