Jussie Smollett’s Hate Crime Hoax Conviction Overturned By Illinois Supreme Court
Jussie Smollett’s Hate Crime Hoax Conviction Overturned By Illinois Supreme Court
Jussie Smollett has a lot to celebrate as his legal team was successful in getting his 2nd conviction for staging a hate crime reversed by the Illinois Supreme Court.
The decision was made earlier today (November 21st), with the court reportedly writing in a statement:
“Today we resolve a question about the State’s responsibility to honor the agreements it makes with defendants….the State is bound by the agreement.”
Smollett was initially charged after filing a police report back in 2019 claiming he was brutally attacked by two men in MAGA hats shouting homophobic slurs. However, an investigation by Chicago police concluded that Smollett orchestrated the incident. He was later convicted on charges related to falsifying a police report.
The actor subsequently reached a plea deal with the state’s attorney Kim Fox, who settled on dropping the case as long as Smollett forfeited his $10,000 bond and completed 15 hours of community service.
Amid completing a reported total of 18 hours, however, the state charged Smollett again in the case for disorderly conduct, and he was sentenced to 30 months probation with the first 150 days to be served in Cook County Jail.
Smollett spent a few days behind bars before a judge let him out while he appealed the conviction, which is now overturned.
While it does not seem Smollett has spoken about the case at this time, his lawyer stated about the matter:
“This was not a prosecution based on facts, rather it was a vindictive persecution and such a proceeding has no place in our criminal justice system. Ultimately, we are pleased that the rule of the law was the big winner today.”
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[VIA]