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Jussie Smollett was convicted on five counts of felony disorderly conduct and acquitted on a sixth count for filing a false police report. The Empire actor had claimed in 2019 that two men attacked him, poured bleach on him, and tied a noose around his neck.
“This was not a prosecution based on facts. Rather, it was a vindictive persecution, and such a proceeding has no place in our criminal justice system,” Smollett’s attorney Mark Geragos said in a statement following the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the conviction. “Ultimately, we are pleased that the rule of law was the big winner today. We are thankful to the Illinois Supreme Court for restoring order to Illinois’s criminal law jurisprudence.”
Smollett’s original sentence included 150 days in jail, 30 months of probation, and a restitution fine exceeding $130,000. However, as of Thursday, Smollett had served only six days of his jail sentence.
The trial stemmed from Smollett’s actions in paying two men from his show Empire $3,500 each to stage the hoax attack. The actor’s conviction took a personal toll, including a dramatic courtroom outburst where he proclaimed, “I am not suicidal,” which led to a mental health evaluation.
