Both of these things can be true.
Smollett could have been lying about the fake attack, AND there was no reason for millions of taxpayer dollars to be used on trial as silly as this. Smollet is guilty of being an idiot and clout chaser, if anything, but this isn’t anything someone should be going to jail for.
Here is the verdict via TMZ.
Jussie Smollett is guilty of lying to Chicago cops, and the world, about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack, according to the jury — or said more simply … it was all a hoax.
Jurors found the ‘Empire’ actor guilty of all 6 felony counts against him. He was facing disorderly conduct charges for allegedly providing a false report to police … with prosecutors ringing him up for each time he did it.
The verdict finally puts the criminal side of this saga to bed. Jussie had maintained his innocence for years, insisting he did not hire brothers, Abel and Bola Osundairo to stage the racist and homophobic attack in the middle of a bitterly frigid Chicago night.
The brothers watched the guilty verdict announcement from an overflow room in the Chicago courthouse.
Now that Jussie’s been found guilty he’ll almost certainly have to pay restitution to Chicago in the amount of $130k — the amount the city says it dropped on investigating the hoax attack.
During the trial, defense attorneys took the calculated risk of having Jussie testify … something criminal defendants rarely do. While on the stand, he gave his blow-by-blow account of what happened during the attack … explaining he’d gone out at 2 AM to buy eggs because the Osundairo bros. — who he’d hired as personal trainers — told him he needed protein.
Most importantly, his testimony aimed to poke holes in the Osundairos’ credibility. For instance, he detailed sexual encounters he claims to have had with Bola … even though Bola had stated the exact opposite under oath — that they had NO sexual relation.
Smollett is looking at a three-year prison sentence, but it is highly unlikely he will do any time, but you never know. I didn’t think there would even be a trial. Most legal experts believe he will just get probation, but as I said, they fought so hard to get him to trial I wouldn’t be shocked if he got some time behind bars.
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