(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- Last Thursday, the jury in the Jussie Smollett trial convicted the actor for staging a “hate crime” against himself and lying to the police about it. And immediately after the verdict, Smollett’s attorney announced that they would be appealing the conviction.
The jury found Smollett guilty on five counts of disorderly conduct. He was acquitted on one count of lying to a detective in mid-February of 2019.
Special prosecutor Dan Webb called the jury’s verdict “a resounding message” that Smollett “did exactly what we said he did.” Webb said Smollett’s staged hate crime “wreaked havoc” on Chicago for weeks “for no reason whatsoever.” He said Smollett then compounded the problem when he decided to lie to the jury during his trial.
Asked if Jussie Smollett would be charged with perjury for lying under oath, Webb said perjury charges “generally” don’t happen if a defendant is convicted, but whether it happens in Smollett’s case is unclear.
Smollett’s attorney Nenye Uche told reporters that they would appeal the conviction, adding that Smollett is “committed to clearing his name.” He predicted that an appellate court would clear Jussie.
Uche also told reporters that Smollett faced an “uphill battle” in the trial because “Jussie was already tried and convicted in the media.”
Sure, “tried and convicted” by a media that completely fell for his hoax. Whatever you say, Nenye.
Judge James Linn scheduled a post-trial hearing for January 27 and said he would schedule Smollett’s sentencing at a later date.
While disorderly conduct is a class-4 felony carrying a prison sentence of up to three years, most legal experts believe that Smollett will probably get off without any jail time. Instead, he will likely be placed on probation and ordered to do community service.
During his testimony, Smollett maintained the claim that he was a victim of a hate crime, telling jurors “there was no hoax.” Smollett accused the two Nigerians he cast in the role of “White Supremacist MAGA supporters” of lying, saying the $3,500 check he wrote to them was for “workout plans” and meals.
