Jussie Smollett Sentenced for lying to police in court with his family, bringing his 92-year-old grandmother with him tried to persuade the judge not to put him behind bars.
The 39-year-old actor arrived late on Thursday while his legal team and special prosecutor Dan Webb waited inside.
Smollett is behind bars for three years for lying to the police. On January 29, 2019, he claimed he was attacked by two white thugs wearing red hats, who told him to ‘f****t’ and n- The word was said
He was initially hesitant to talk to the police about it, refusing to hand over his cell phone for weeks and then launching his own narrative, going on Good Morning America and doing music shows where he played a Spoke proudly of ‘fighting back’ as a black gay man. America.
At trial, a jury ruled that none of this was true.
Smollett actually hired two of his black friends, Abel and Ola Osundaro — a pair of brothers with Nigerian heritage — to stage the attack as a way to raise their celebrity profile.
Prosecutors explained how he did not intend to report the stunt to the police and only wanted to gain attention and possibly raise money from Empire, the show he was starring in.
Smollett maintained his innocence and still does. He will appear in court today along with his 92-year-old grandmother Molly, who will also ask the judge to show mercy in the sentencing.
His older brother Joel will also speak, as will music director Rich Daniels, a friend who says he ‘loves Jessie like a brother’, and Sharon Gelman, former executive director, Artists for a New South Africa.
Jussie Smollett arrives in court Thursday to plead guilty to five felony counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police. he was reunited with his family
Smollett’s team says the judge has received 80 letters in support of him, demanding an alternative sentence.
They say that the letters describe how Smollett has reason to fear for his safety in prison as a ‘gay, black Jewish man’.
Ola Osundaro, one of the Nigerian brothers Smollett paid for the attack, is in the overflow room awaiting sentencing.
More than three years after the long legal saga began, it finally comes to an end today.
Since its inception, the case against Smollett has ignited debate and angered many in the worlds of showbiz, politics and civil rights.
Smollett was arrested in February 2019, then charges against him were abruptly dropped following a suspicious investigation by Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx and his office, who Smollett had been in contact with in the early days of the case.
A special prosecutor brought fresh charges against him.
Before sentencing on Thursday, his legal team handed over letters to the judge asking for leniency from black rights organizations.
One was written by the president of the NAACP who claimed that Smollett had been subjected to an unreasonable amount of scrutiny and attention.
‘It would be an understatement to say that Mr Smollett’s case has received the utmost attention.
The jury found Smollett guilty of lying to the police. Brothers Abel (left) and Ola (right) Osundario testify that Smollett paid them to attack him and that they expected him to get more attention at work
Both brothers are shown on a Chicago street surveillance camera on the night of the January 29, 2019 attack
Timeline from the Jussie Smollett Saga’s first call to his sentencing to the police
29 January 2019: Smollett told police that he was attacked around 2 a.m. on his way home from the subway. They say their attackers were fair or light-skinned, and they put a noose around her neck and hurled racial and homophobic slurs
Smollett, on a police bodycam, shows the police the noose around his neck that he claimed his assailants had put there.
30 January: The details leak to the public and Smollett finds a base of support. Chicago PD vows speedy investigation to find attackers
February 2: Smollett begins a concert in West Hollywood, California with an emotional speech, saying that he had to play the show because he couldn’t let his attackers win.
February 13: Unbeknownst to the public, Chicago PD investigators have looked at the brothers on the night of the attack and after reviewing surveillance footage from Lyft and Uber records. On their return from Nigeria, they take the brothers to the airport.
They are released without charge.
By then, news had leaked from the Chicago PD that some suspected Smollett of lying.
February 14: Jussie Smollett appears on Good Morning America in tears to protest that he is telling the truth.
Robin Roberts shows him surveillance footage from the night of the attack and he says with certainty that the men shown are his attackers.
February 19: Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx withdrew from the case due to contact with Smollett’s family
February 20Smollett is accused of filing a false police report
February 21: Smollett surrenders to police but maintains his innocence
February 22: Smollett’s character has been removed from Empire
7 March: A grand jury returns a 16-count indictment accusing Smollett of repeatedly lying to police
26 March: The charges against Smollett have been dramatically dropped. This decision is causing public outrage.
March 28: City of Chicago says it will sue Smollett for $140,000 in wasted police resources
23 April: Abel and Ola Osundaro sued Smollett’s lawyers who called them liars on TV
August 23: Former US Attorney Dan Webb named as special prosecutor to investigate why charges against Smollett were dropped
February 11, 2020: Smollett indicted by grand jury on six counts of lying to police
24 February 2020:Smollett pleads not guilty
November 29, 2021: After an 18-month break due to COVID-19 affecting the courts, Smollett’s trial finally begins in Chicago
December 6 2021: Smollett testifies at trial that he is telling the truth
9 December: Smollett has been indicted on five of six counts of lying to police
March 10 2022: Smollett is sentenced
In this case there is no drugs, no theft, no sex, no property damage, and no bodily injury to anyone other than the defendant.
‘Despite this being pointed out by the media, this case involves a low-level, non-violent crime.
Derrick Johnson wrote, ‘We urge the Court to take this fact into account when sentencing Mr. Smollett.’
Melina Abdullah, the director of Black Lives Matter-Grassroots, handed over another letter.
Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx distances herself from case after revealing she has been in contact with Smollett’s family
“Black Lives Matter stands in strong support of the alternative-to-imprisonment sentence for Jussie Smollett,” his letter read.
It details all of Smollett’s financial contributions to civil rights organizations and his commitment to the community.
The brothers testified at trial about how Smollett paid them to carry out the attack, how he rehearsed it with them, and how they already knew him.
Smollett’s defense was that he was lying the whole time.
His lawyer gave several motives for lying. Smollett himself claimed that he and Abel Osundaro had visited the bathhouse together where he had ‘made’.
Abel said that never happened, but that neither he nor his brother was homophobic—as suggested by Smollett’s lawyers.
He showed a jury photos of him handing out condoms at a pride parade to prove he had no prejudice against gay men.
The brothers said they didn’t necessarily want to harm Smollett, but they wanted to tell the truth.
Smollett’s lies angered Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson, who was in charge of the force at the time but is no longer, and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
After today’s hearing, Smollett’s attorney, Nenya Uche, is scheduled to make a brief statement, but will not be asked to do so.
Jussie Smollett, at left, is shown with Abel Osundaro, right On January 19, 2019, ten days before the attack, Abel says Smollett paid to take him out. Jussie told the lawsuit that she and Abel were occasional lovers who would ‘make up’ in the bathhouses and masturbate together.
Jussie and Abel are shown together in July 2018 (left) and again in September 2018 (right). Jussie said they had a romantic relationship but did not spend time with Abel’s brother Olabinjo, not the picture.
Abel is shown outside court after testifying against Smollett last week. Olabinjo Osundario, who goes by Ola, was not as close to the star. He told DailyMail.com in the lawsuit that they were not there to cause malice or to seal his fate, but to tell the truth.