{"id":1104337,"date":"2021-12-09T22:13:29","date_gmt":"2021-12-10T03:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1104337"},"modified":"2021-12-09T22:13:31","modified_gmt":"2021-12-10T03:13:31","slug":"jussie-smollett-will-appeal-guilty-verdict-committed-to-clearing-his-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jussie-smollett-will-appeal-guilty-verdict-committed-to-clearing-his-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Jussie Smollett will Appeal Guilty Verdict: &#039;Committed to Clearing His Name&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjussie-smollett-will-appeal-guilty-verdict-committed-to-clearing-his-name%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1104337&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/FOXJussiesmollett1.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p class=\"subheading\">CHICAGO (AP) \u2014 Former \u201cEmpire\u201d actor <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-entertainment-lifestyle-arts-and-entertainment-crime-644f875e61b3ea9c7e8eefd1c227bf91\">Jussie Smollett <\/a>was convicted Thursday on charges he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself nearly three years ago and then lied to Chicago police about it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">In the courtroom as the verdict was read, Smollett stood and faced the jury, showing no visible reaction. He and his family later left the courthouse without comment.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The jury found the 39-year-old guilty <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-trial-chicago-charges-d5f6081f7755b841a878952889d29feb\">on five counts of disorderly conduct <\/a>\u2014 for each separate time he was charged with lying to police in the days immediately after the alleged attack. He was acquitted on a sixth count, of lying to a detective in mid-February, weeks after Smollett said he was attacked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Outside court, special prosecutor Dan Webb called the verdict \u201ca resounding message by the jury that Mr. Smollett did exactly what we said he did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Smollett \u201c <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/smollett-trial-11-30-live-updates-e0fa5da624c4d3ef00c68a893b024bb4\">wreaked havoc here in the city<\/a> for weeks on end for no reason whatsoever,\u201d then compounded the problem by lying under oath to the jury, Webb said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Defense attorney Nenye Uche said Smollett would appeal the conviction. He said Smollett was disappointed but \u201cholding up very strong,\u201d and is \u201ccommitted to clearing his name.\u201d He expressed confidence the actor would be cleared by an appellate court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cUnfortunately we were facing an uphill battle where Jussie was already tried and convicted in the media and then we had to somehow get the jury to forget or unsee all the news stories that they had been hearing that were negative for the last three years,\u201d Uche told reporters after the verdict.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Judge James Linn set a post-trial hearing for Jan. 27, and said he would schedule Smollett\u2019s sentencing at a later date. Disorderly conduct is a class 4 felony that carries a prison sentence of up to three years, but experts have said if convicted, Smollett would likely be placed on probation and ordered to perform community service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\"><a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-chicago-168608ab44598f96ce768f2a58c76611\">The damage to his personal and professional life<\/a> may be more severe. Smollett lost his role on the TV program \u201cEmpire\u201d after prosecutors said the alleged attack was a hoax, and he told jurors earlier this week, <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-trial-resumes-chicago-3860a3e677b22f4da2233d333df7dabd\">\u201cI\u2019ve lost my livelihood.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">The jury deliberated for just over nine hours Wednesday and Thursday after a roughly one-week trial in which <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-crime-chicago-hate-crimes-6650652906e528cd4a8bf9032ea370e1\">two brothers testified<\/a> that Smollett recruited them to fake the attack near his home in downtown Chicago in <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-trial-key-moments-901588ec2b755a0b641924270f92421d\">January 2019<\/a>. They said Smollett orchestrated the hoax, telling them to put a noose around his neck and rough him up in view of a surveillance camera, and that he said he wanted video of the hoax made public via social media.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\"><a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-crime-chicago-eb787489c4e1fa17a12dff35eba13033\">Smollett testified<\/a> that he was the victim of a real hate crime, telling jurors \u201cthere was no hoax.\u201d He called the brothers \u201cliars\u201d and said the $3,500 check he wrote them was for meal and workout plans. His <a class href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/jussie-smollett-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-crime-chicago-4d72871f9ec25022c5a681ffef677333\">attorneys argued<\/a> that the brothers attacked the actor \u2014 who is gay and Black \u2014 because they are homophobic and didn\u2019t like \u201cwho he was.\u201d They also alleged the brothers made up the story about the attack being staged to get money from Smollett, and that they said they wouldn\u2019t testify against him if Smollett paid them each $1 million.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">In closing arguments on Wednesday, Webb told jurors there was \u201coverwhelming evidence\u201d that Smollett staged the attack, then lied to police about it for publicity. He said Smollett caused Chicago police to spend enormous resources investigating what they believed was a hate crime, and that surveillance video contradicted key moments of Smollett\u2019s testimony.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">Asked Thursday if Smollett could be charged with perjury for lying on the witness stand, Webb said perjury charges \u201cgenerally\u201d don\u2019t happen after a defendant is convicted, but that it was unclear what would happen in Smollett\u2019s case.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">He also said the Chicago Police Department was vindicated by the jury\u2019s verdict.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">\u201cA lot of times people say, \u2018well, police officers sweep things under the rug,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThis police department responded.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">But Uche said Chicago police should have investigated the case \u201cmuch more,\u201d and that there were some witnesses who were never interviewed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">He called the jury\u2019s split verdict \u201cinconsistent,\u201d saying it made no sense for Smollett to be convicted of five counts but not the sixth charge, since \u201ceverything stems from one incident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Component-root-0-2-61 Component-p-0-2-52\">An attorney for Abimbola and Olabingo Osundairo, the brothers who testified against Smollett, said her clients \u201ccould not be more thrilled and pleased with the results.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CHICAGO (AP) \u2014 Former \u201cEmpire\u201d actor Jussie Smollett was convicted Thursday on charges he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself nearly three years ago and then lied to Chicago &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1104337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1104337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1104337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1104337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1104337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}