SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction on allegations that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in downtown Chicago in 2019 and lied to police.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction on allegations that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in downtown Chicago in 2019 and lied to police.
Smollett, who is Black and gay, claimed two men assaulted him, spouted racial and homophobic slurs and tossed a noose around his neck, leading to a massive search for suspects by Chicago police detectives and kicking up an international uproar. Smollett was on the television drama “Empire,” which filmed in Chicago, and prosecutors alleged he staged the attack because he was unhappy with the studio’s response to hate mail he received.
His attorneys have argued that the case was over when the Cook County state’s attorney’s office dropped an initial 16 counts of disorderly conduct after Smollett performed community service and forfeited a $10,000 bond.Testimony at his trial indicated Smollett paid $3,500 to two men whom he knew from “Empire” to carry out the attack.
He was sentenced to 150 days in jail — six of which he served before he was freed pending appeal — 30 months of probation and ordered to pay about $130,000 in restitution.
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