Jussie Smollett found guilty of faking homophobic and racist attack against himself

Actor Jussie Smollett has been found guilty by a Chicago jury after filing false police reports.

The former Empire star claimed in 2019 that he had been viciously attacked in the streets of Chicago in the middle of the night while heading to a Subway sandwich shop.

Throughout his trial the 39-year-old maintained that he had not orchestrated the event on himself that allegedly saw two “massive” males shout homophobic and racist abuse at him.

The star also claimed that the alleged Trump supporters also poured liquid over him and tied a noose around his neck.

Jussie insisted that he did not hire brothers Abel and Bola Osundairo to stage the attack.

On Thursday, a Chicago jury found him guilty after 10 hours of deliberation in five of the six charges against him.

The actor was charged with six counts of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report.

The Osundairo brothers claimed during the trial that the actor paid them as part of the plot.

Earlier in the week, Jussie took to the stand where prosecuting lawyers told the jury there was “overwhelming” evidence that the actor faked the attack himself.

Following a guilty verdict, Jussie is facing up to three years in prison but he will have to wait to see if he will be sentenced to jail time or not.

Reports suggest that he may be given community service due to his previous clean record.

Jussie also has an on-going civil lawsuit ongoing because of the case.

The City of Chicago is suing the actor over lost resources in investigating his claim.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson slammed the actor for lying about his attack seemingly in an effort to raise his own profile and make money.

Johnson fumed at him in a press conference for “[taking] advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career”.

Jussie’s career stalled following his accusations. Shortly after his claim, he was fired from the hit show Empire as public opinion turned against him.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk