Empire Star Jussie Smollett to Face 20 Years in Jail For Faking Hate Crime

• American actor Jussie Smollett was found guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct for making a false report to the police on Thursday

• The police and prosecutors claim that the former Empire TV show star faked being the victim of a hate crime in 2019

• Smollett, 39 could be set to face up to 20 years in jail for his crimes

American actor Jussie Smollett has been found guilty of faking a racist and homophobic attack against himself and faces up to 20 years in prison for the crime.

The former star of the Empire TV show was found guilty of 5 out of 6 disorderly conduct counts that were read out in the Chicago courtroom by Judge James Linn.

A disorderly conduct charge for a false crime report is a Class 4 felony and each is punishable by up to 3 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

Presiding Judge James Linn will decide if Smollett’s sentences will run concurrently or consecutively at a later date.

Jussie Smollet was attacked in 2019 in what was termed a homophobic hate crime. He was later found guilty of disorderly conduct for making false reports to the police.

The Chicago police initially investigated the attack as a hate crime but soon alleged that the 39-year-old actor orchestrated the incident.

The attack was found to have been carried out by two brothers that the actor knew from the “Empire” TV show.

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The brothers, Bola and Ola Osundairo testified that they were paid by the actor to attack more media attention.

Jussie Smollett in his defense said that he paid the brothers for training advice and nutritional tips.

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