In January 2019, actor Jussie Smollett filed a report with the police. He said he was attacked in a racist and homophobic manner.
He claimed the incident occurred on a cold night in downtown Chicago; however, he was later charged with making false allegations.
Prosecutors stated that Smollett paid two brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, to do the “fake” job. They added that Smollett created the story to increase his status with his show, “Empire”, which no longer airs.
The jury heard testimony that Smollett altered his story, saying that his attackers were pale-skinned, not white. He also made sure to use words and symbols in his accusations that stirred many emotions pertaining to the country’s past issues with racism. This included words like noose and the N-word, officials said.
On Thursday, Smollett was found guilty of five felony counts of disorderly conduct and staging a hate crime.
On January 27, Smollett will appear in court for sentencing discussions.
Smollett could receive three years in prison.
